Squidbob & Spongeward
by Parent12D
Summary: As a result of a conversation that came up upon the end of a workday, Spongebob and Squidward decide on switching places and trading their respective lives to see whose life is harder. They will end up learning that both of their actual lives aren't as easy as they thought it would be and they'll also learn a bit about each other. This story is rated K plus.
1. The Life Trade Switcheroo

**Hello there, readers. I have finally gotten to work on a new story that I was planning; a Spongebob story.**

**Now I'm not going to say much here, aside from the fact that this story is self-explanatory (kind of). This story is going to be about Squidward and Spongebob trading lives and seeing whose life is harder. **

**I do hope you will like my story. I don't have anything else to say, so let's get the story started!**

**DISCLAIMER: All the rights to Spongebob belong to the creator; the **_**late**_** Stephen Hillenburg, as well as the **_**Nickelodeon**_** Corporation.**

* * *

**IN BIKINI BOTTOM:**

It was a beautiful Friday in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The clams were chirping, and the citizens of Bikini Bottom were happily living about their daily lives. At the Krusty Krab, in particular, home of the mouth-watering Krabby Patties, it was just about closing time after another hard day of work for the crew. Coming out of the front door was everyone's favorite sea sponge; Spongebob Squarepants, and his grumpy cephalopod of a neighbor; Squidward Tentacles. While Spongebob enjoyed the workday today, Squidward did not. To him, it was the same as it ever was; a lot of hard work and nothing interesting about it. The frown that was plastered on his face was more than enough proof of that.

Spongebob let out a happy sigh, taking in the breath of fresh air even after spending hours in a grease filled kitchen.

"Ah, what a day it has been," Spongebob remarked. "Another fine day on the job this has been, eh Squidward?"

"Hmph," the octopus scoffed at that question. "That's easy for you to say. Today was lousy as always."

Just hearing that got the sponge to skid to a stop as he faced his neighbor.

"Huh? What in Davy Jones' locker are you talking about," he asked him. "I think that there is nothing better than spending a day at the Krusty Krab making some Krabby Patties for our dear loyal customers."

"Well, of course, being the simpleton you are, you would enjoy that kind of work. But I dreaded every moment of it," Squidward pointed out, stopping in his tracks. "I have to take people's orders every minute of the day, make sure they get the right amount of change back, count the money and making sure we got the right amount of cash received for the day so Mr. K would be satisfied. Does that answer your question?"

"Whoa. Squidward, I think you're exaggerating a bit." Spongebob gasped.

"Every day of my life is an _exaggeration_," the blue octopus mumbled.

"I mean all you have to do all day is watch over the cash register and make sure our customers get the right change back," the sponge continued. "To me, the _job_ seems to be easy peasy."

"_Everything_ to you is easy peasy, you barnacle brain," Squidward snorted. "It's not as easy as it looks. The money needs to be counted _properly_. Otherwise, that cheapskate of a boss will throw a hissy fit."

"I'll have you know that working by the grill isn't all fun and games either," Spongebob countered with his point. "I try to make it fun, but it's much harder than you think. I have to make sure that the patties are cooked to the right temperature for the right amount of time, and I also have to make sure the grill gets cleaned after every use when it's cooled off, so the Krabby Patties don't get contaminated."

"Huh. Yeah right," Squidward doesn't seem amused as he resumes walking. "Being a fry cook is a total pushover's job."

"Ah, but it _isn't_ Squiddy," Spongebob rushed after him to walk by his side. "It's more than just cooking the food and flipping patties. I also have to mop the floors, scrub the latrines, wash the dishes, sweep the floors, clean the tables and swab the poop deck too. These are dirty jobs that I can handle because I'm a sponge."

"Well my life outside of work is even more **stressful **than it is_ at_ work," argued Squidward. "I have to wake up and get ready for work every morning bar Sunday, and I have to deal with two idiotic neighbors day in and day out. In addition to that, I also have to pay the bills for my house with the paychecks I get from work, and then there are all of my artistic works on top of it. I have to write poetry, paint those paintings that you've seen, write compositions, show my work to the art committee, attend and take part in dance rehearsal, and then there's my clarinet recital, which I am having trouble with as it is."

"I also have to do a lot outside of work too, Squidward," Spongebob countered. "I have to pay the taxes I get in addition to the bills. I have to feed Gary daily to keep him from eating the sofa, as well as taking care of my Gare bear. I also go to Boating School to pass my boating exam, which I am never able to pass. I have to keep my pineapple home under maintenance so there are no leaky faucets, floods or fires, and to prevent another nematode incident like last time. So you see, my life is much more difficult than you make it out to be."

"My life is still _tougher_ than yours," Squidward protested, coming to a stop right in front of their houses.

"You think so?" The sponge queried, stopping right beside him.

"I don't _think _so," the octopus crossed his arms casually. "I _**know **_so."

"Well then, how about we make a deal together," Spongebob offered.

"That depends. Is this going to be like one of those other shenanigans we took part in, such as the time we competed for _Employee of the Month_?" Squidward retorted.

"Nah, this is different," the sponge shook off. "I was thinking that maybe we could switch lives."

"Come again," now this got Squidward curious as he raised an eyebrow.

"The whole part of the deal is that we'd switch lives so we can see what it's like to be in the others' shoes," he explained. "I can take over your life, and you can take over mine. We can understand a bit more about each other, as well as find out who's life is harder. And the best part is that there is no reward for this deal. This is to help us learn more about what we put up with. So what do ya say, Squiddy? Are you in, or what?"

Now Squidward was lost in thought as he had no idea what to think about this. On one hand, he'd have to take over Spongebob's life and get to partake in the hooligan nonsense that he does daily. And Neptune forbids that it wouldn't be an enjoyable experience. On the other hand, though, Spongebob would get to see what Squidward puts up with within his life and that it's not fun and games like how he'd normally view life. Perhaps this deal could show the young sponge why the cephalopod wants to be left alone all the time and why he doesn't enjoy having him accompany him.

_Well, now that I think of it, perhaps this will be a perfect opportunity for the barnacle head to see what makes my life so miserable. _He thought. _This could my ticket to get him off my back for good. I mean sure, I have to deal with his tomfoolery, but it'll be __**worth**__ having him leave me alone once and for all._

With that thought running through his mind, Squidward finally came to a decision.

"Alright then Mr. Squarepants, you got yourself a deal," he announced. "I will trade my life for your life."

"Excellent," Spongebob squealed with joy. "This ought to be a fun experience for us, eh?"

"Whatever," Squidward said dryly.

"Oh! That's right," Spongebob snapped his fingers at remembering something. "We have to trade clothes too."

"You're kidding." Squidward moaned.

"I kid you not, Squidward," Spongebob told him. "Since we traded our lives, we also have to trade clothes, along with our homes. It's only fair."

"Right," he sighed exaggeratedly.

"So you'll need to wear my square pants," the eccentric sponge took off his pants and gave them to Squidward. "Here you go."

"Oh, very well," he then put on the square pants. The position felt weird, but what could he do?

"Dahahaha. Oh Squidward, this reminds me of the time we took over the Krusty Krab and you gave me two jobs as the cashier and the frycook," he brought up. "By the way, have you finished those errands?"

"Don't get started on _that_ again," he groaned upon the question being asked.

"I'm just playing with ya buddy ol' pal," Spongebob chuckled.

"Well, I suppose I should fork over my t-shirt for you to wear, since we are doing this," Squidward mentioned.

"That would be wonderful Squiddy," Spongebob beamed.

With that, Squidward took off his t-shirt and gave it to Spongebob. The kitchen sponge put the shirt on and it was covering his underpants, kinda like a skirt. Needless to say, he was ecstatic about this.

"Ah, I remember the last time I wore _this_," he remembered. "It was the time you gave up all of your belongings, including your house, just so you could have that paper I was playing with."

"And I shamefully regret ever doing such a thing," he muttered under his breath.

Silence clouded the two of them for a moment or so before Spongebob cleared his throat.

"Uh, anyway, now that we got this out of the way, I suppose we should retreat to the homes that we traded among one another. And get comfy for the evening, since tomorrow we'll be starting our temporary new lives."

"That sounds like a great idea," Squidward stretched out, pulling on the white sleeves on his arms. "I could use some downtime anyway."

"I gotcha Squidward," Spongebob smiled. "See ya tomorrow."

"Yup. So long," as soon as he said that, the octopus headed to the pineapple home before snickering to himself. "Huh, I can't wait to see that kelp for brains struggle with the stuff I put up with. It'll be a breeze. Heh, heh, heh."

"Have a good one," the sponge hollered back right after his neighbor closed the door behind him. He started musing to himself. "I have to say, I'm impressed. Maybe Squidward will learn more about me and what I do. I'm happy that he's taking this well."

After he said that, Spongebob turned around and headed right for the Easter Island head of a home where he opened the door and stepped right in. He then closed the door behind him as he and Squidward were going to unwind for the evening. Both of them were just waiting for tomorrow to come, unaware of the challenges that tomorrow will bring to the two of them…

* * *

**"THE FOLLOWING MORNING…"**

It was now Saturday morning in Bikini Bottom. In Spongebob's pineapple home, we see Squidward sound and asleep in Spongebob's bed. It would appear that he entirely disregarded the fact that he was in his neighbor's home, as he was snoozing away. He acted like there was nothing different with his life. But he was about to be in for a wake-up call that'll get him on track.

After a few more seconds, Spongebob's foghorn alarm started going off, getting Squidward to bolt up quickly as he cleared his eyes.

"Uh…uh…w-what's going on?" He had to ask himself.

Then it hit him. The agreement he made with Spongebob. It was coming back to him.

"Oh. Right," Squidward groaned. "I am in Spongebob's house since we traded lives yesterday."

That foghorn alarm ruined what was considered a peaceful dream that he was having. But alas, he had to live with it for now. Without warning, he then turned off the alarm before getting out of bed and stretching his tentacles.

"Well, today ought to be an _interesting_ day," he mumbled. "I get to do all of the stuff that the square head typically does. Gee, I am already looking forward to it as I speak."

In spite of his sarcastic remark, he brushed it off and decided to reassure himself about this.

"Oh relax now Squidward. This is Spongebob we are talking about," he smirked. "Today ought to be a rather simple and stress-free day. I mean, what in Neptune's mother could go wrong with me today?"

"MEOW! (HEY! PAPA-BOB!)" A voice coming from a certain snail was heard coming upstairs.

It was then that Squidward's frown returned to his face.

"I take back what I said. That's one thing that could go wrong," he said. "Well, so much for having an otherwise perfect day."

It was then Gary came into the bedroom, about to holler once more for Spongebob, when suddenly he stopped in his tracks. In front of him was Squidward, the person he wasn't expecting to see this early in the morning. Feeling the need to retort, Gary let it all out.

"Meow. (Well, well, if it isn't the ugly big-headed blue cephalopod of a neighbor who lives next door. I was expecting to see Papa Bob, _not_ his neighbor.)"

"Oh kelp, rub it in this early in the morning why don't ya," Squidward delivered a retort of his own in response.

"Meow? (In any case, what are you doing here? And where is Papa Bob?)" Gary demanded.

"Long story short; the square head and I swapped lives with each other after a discussion we had yesterday. We are now seeing what it's like to live in each others' shoes," he explained to him. "We decided on this to see whose life is harder, and thus it resulted in us trading clothes and swapping homes to sleep in."

This took Gary by surprise at first, for he never expected something like this to happen. Unfortunately, be it as it may be, Gary's shock quickly turned into indifference upon learning everyone.

"Meow? Meow. (Wow, so you two traded lives, clothes, and homes just to see whose life is more challenging? Huh, I never thought I'd see the day where _you_ finally got involved with one of Papa-Bob's nautical shenanigans like this one.)" the snail responded with a snort.

"Tell me something I don't know," the octopus fired back.

Gary only rolled his eyes as a result, as Squidward then crossed his arms.

"Anyway, what do you want?" He asked the mollusk.

"Meow. (If you must know, I'm in the mood for some breakfast. I would like to have some Snail Po like Papa-Bob always does it.)"

Seeing the confused look on Squidward's face, Gary decided to elaborate.

"Meow! (I want my wet snail food!)"

"Oh right," he felt like rejecting, but it would only turn into another retorting war, so he decided to go with it. "One can of Snail Po coming right up, you're majesty."

"Meow. (Yeah, yeah, just don't blow me off like you did last time.)" Gary started to exit the bedroom.

"Oh yes, that shouldn't be a problem," Squidward hollered bitterly. "It's not like Spongedope and his fat chubby pink barnacle head of a friend are going to a _Jellyfishing Convention _this time!"

His comment fell on deaf ears since Gary didn't dish out another retort. This got him to speak under his breath about how this was going so far.

Nonetheless, Squidward decided to exit the bedroom and headed downstairs to feed Gary his Snail Po, as well as getting the morning started, so he can be all prepped up for the day, and the trials that were in store for him…

* * *

After a good amount of time spent getting ready, Squidward had finally gotten out of Spongebob's house, all set for the day. He was still wearing the square pants that he was given, red necktie and all. Once he was outside, he had to recount everything that he did this morning. He had to feed Gary, eat some breakfast of his own, make some coffee for him to drink, clean the dishes upon finishing breakfast, and taking a shower, along with other personal hygiene. The most that he struggled with was that he had trouble finding the coffee, as well as finding the soap for the dishes while dealing with Gary's snarky attitude on top of that. Still, it was just the beginning of the day. And even with a couple of flukes that came from the time he spent in the pineapple house so far, that didn't mean the rest of the day would be any worse, right? He had to reassure himself of that.

_Okay, so maybe I had trouble finding the coffee, which Spongebob doesn't have often. And maybe I had trouble finding the soap for the dishes, on top of dealing with Gary's attitude. _He told himself mentally. _But I still got this down. Today is still going to be an almost perfect day. This should be a piece of cake._

Just after he had those thoughts run through his head, Spongebob came out of the Easter Island head home, looking all perky as he was whistling a tune. This caught the octopus' attention as he wondered how his morning went.

"Oh wow, I wonder how Spongebob is handling my life so far." He mused to himself out loud.

Said sponge then noticed Squidward and decided to give him his greeting.

"Ahoy Squidward," he hollered before heading over to him. "How is your new life going so far?"

"If you must know, my morning is in the bag. I fed your snail, ate breakfast, had some coffee, washed the dishes and showered," he snorted before a smug grin emerged on his face. "Trust me Sponge for brains; this is going to be a breeze for me."

"Dahahaha, oh Squidward old buddy. This is only the beginning of the life that you are filling in for me," he told him. "But I'm glad you are taking this well."

"Uh-huh," the cephalopod then questioned him. "So anyway, how is your life going so far?"

"Oh it's just fabulous Squidward," Spongebob beamed in an optimistic tone. "I've been able to get things done; breakfast, hygiene and all. I also had some tea, and on top of it, I even wrote a poem."

"Oh joy," Squidward murmured. "This I got to hear."

"With pleasure pal," he took out a paper that had a short poem written on it. "I call this poem '**Friendship**'."

Taking a deep breath, he read exactly what he wrote out loud for him:

**In spite of the pressures and struggles that stack,**

**We always have each other's backs.**

**Even when a friendship is under strain,**

**I will do whatever it takes to end the pain.**

_Wow. That poem wasn't half bad. _Squidward had to admit, the poem was fairly decent. But of course, true to his character, Squidward's ego took over as he then scolded him.

"Oh please, you call _that_ a poem?" He said bitterly.

Spongebob was oblivious to his negative tone as he answered him.

"Yeah, it's not the best, but it's a start. Gary is a better poet than I am," Spongebob revealed. "Besides, it's just the first poem I've written."

"Well I can write better than that," Squidward proclaimed. "Just watch me."

"Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast Squidward," Spongebob reminded him. "You're supposed to be me. You can't write poems. Because you're in my shoes, I'm as you would call a _simpleton_."

"Of course. I should have expected that to happen," he grunted.

"But aside from that, I plan on doing more poems later on. And later on today, I'm going to make paintings, craft out sculptures, and even practice dancing."

"Heh, right, only on amateur levels," Squidward quibbled under his breath as he rolled his eyes. "As for me, I just plan on doing whatever the heck it is that you do daily."

"Well good luck with that Squiddy," Spongebob wished him luck. "You are going to need it."

_Same goes for you, barnacle head. _Squidward thought as he crossed his arms.

Then right on cue, Patrick's rock home opens up, and Patrick ends up walking out of his home. At the moment, he was unaware of what Spongebob and Squidward were up to at the moment, so he casually approached them without a single care. He then decided to greet them.

"Good morning Spongebob, and Squidward. What is going-?" Suddenly, he stops short when he noticed something different. What he saw in front of him left him entirely confused.

"Spongebob, is that you buddy?" Patrick asked, facing Squidward as he thought he was Spongebob. "Holy clamshells, what happened to you, my old square buddy!? Did you suddenly decide to grow on me overnight?"

He then examined the other body parts of Squidward.

"You know, the last time I've seen you, you are supposed to be _yellow_. And yet you suddenly turned blue on me?! And another thing, what's up with the nose? That has to be the _ugliest_ nose I've ever seen! And don't get me started on your head. It's massive! What happened to you, Spongebob?"

"It's _me_ you pinheaded kelp for brains!" Squidward snapped while fuming.

"WHOA! Squidward!? Since when did _you_ become Spongebob," now Patrick was panicking. "And more importantly, did you steal my buddy's identity!? How could you do something like this to me!?"

"Patrick, calm down. I'm over here," Spongebob got his starfish friend's attention. "Squidward didn't steal my identity, and he didn't transform into me."

"What the...?" Patrick was now as confused as heck upon seeing Spongebob in Squidward's clothes. "What in the name of Neptune is going on here!?"

"Long story short, Squidward and I swapped lives with each other after a talk we had yesterday," he informed him. "We wanted to know whose life was harder. So we did this just to show each other how complicated our lives are."

Spongebob was hoping that it was enough for Patrick to understand. Unbeknownst to him, this was not the case since Patrick came to his deduction.

"Oh my goodness. I've figured it out," it was then his reaction was not what they were expecting. "Spongebob _became_ Squidward, and Squidward _became_ Spongebob! Is it Opposite Day again?"

"Look, Patrick, what I meant to say was-"

"Am I in another dimension, or have I gone _mad_!?" Patrick cut off his best friend's sentence. "Tartar sauce, if my best friend is now Squidward, and Squidward is now Spongebob, then who am _I_ suppose to _**be!?"**_

Now Spongebob was growing concerned for his best friend as he once again tried to clear things up with him.

"Settle down Pat. All I am saying is-"

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Once again, Patrick cut him off. **"MY WHOLE LIFE HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A **_**HUGE**_** LIE!"**

Right as Spongebob was about to open up his mouth, Patrick let out a hysterical scream as he stormed back for his rock. Once he got under it, he slammed it shut, leaving both Spongebob and Squidward in a catatonic state of shock by what just took place. Furthermore, while Spongebob was genuinely concerned for him, Squidward felt nothing but sheer annoyance at the sight before him.

Tranquility filled the air for a moment or so before Squidward finally spoke first.

"Hmph, _simpleton_," he grumbled out loud.

"Now Squidward, Patrick was just being _Patrick_," Spongebob told him. "He does this every day. I'm used to it."

"Whatever," Squidward simply said in an apathetic manner before walking away down the road. It didn't take long for Spongebob to catch up with him though.

"Wait, Squidward!" Spongebob got his attention. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Now look here Spongebob, if you think that I'm going to be skipping down the road, chanting '_I'm ready! I'm ready! I'm ready!_' over and over again, you have another thing coming!" Squidward suddenly barked, not wanting to take part in any of that.

"Dahahaha! Oh, that's not what I'm talking about Squiddy," Spongebob laughed. "I was going to ask if remembered the red necktie that I wear."

"Oh," Squidward said lowly before waving it in his face. "Does _this_ answer your question?"

Spongebob simply nodded as a result.

"Good. Then it's settled." Squidward stated.

The kitchen sponge decided not to argue with that, so he shrugged his shoulders as the two of them walked down the road for a few minutes or so.

* * *

It didn't take long before they encountered another familiar face. This person was revealed to be Sandy. Spongebob was the first to notice her.

"Hey Squidward, look! It's Sandy," Spongebob pointed out as he walked over to greet her.

"Oh joy. I can hardly wait to see how this will go." Squidward snorted as he followed as the yellow sponge.

Both the sea sponge and the cephalopod decided to go and greet the formers' squirrel friend.

"Hey, Sandy," he got her along with Squidward.

"Why howdy Spongebob, Squidward," it was then Sandy noticed something different about them. "Okay, so what's with the getup?"

"The _what_ now," they both asked simultaneously.

"All I wanna ask is Squidward, why are ya wearin' Spongebob's _square pants_? And Spongebob, why are ya wearin' Squidward's t-shirt?" She got straight to the point.

"It's a long story," Squidward retorted.

"Yeah, to put it short Sandy, Squidward and I decided to switch lives with each other to see whose life is more complicated," Spongebob explained to his squirrel friend. "This came as a result of a conversation that we had yesterday."

"Right, so lemme get this straight; you two swapped lives to see who has the more challengin' life and you two went as far as trading each others' clothes to prove it," Sandy scratched the top of her helmet. "Alright Mr. Squarepants, is this another one of your mind tricks again?"

"Dahahahaha, no it isn't Sandy," Spongebob denied. "I did_ that_ with Patrick last week."

"Well, I'll be," Sandy started chuckling. "I never thought that you Squidward, of _all _people, would have gone along with one of Spongebob's crazy and whimsical shenanigans. I'm surprised that you went along with his darn tootin' horseplay."

"Don't remind me," Squidward deadpanned with annoyance.

"Well now Squidward, or should I say 'Squidbob'_,_" she went along with it. "Since your now fillin' in for Spongebob, what do ya say the two of us practice some good old fashion karate? HI-YAAH!"

Right on cue, she karate chopped Squidward's nose, which left a small and minor bruise.

"Ouch," the cephalopod uttered nonchalantly.

"Hahahaha," Spongebob chuckled. "Don't worry Squiddy. It might hurt a little at first, but you'll get used to it eventually. I know I have."

"Easy for you to say," Squidward spat. "You're a _sponge_."

"There's that and you know the old saying; 'no pain, no gain', as I do say so myself," Spongebob recalled.

"I have to give you kudos for that Spongebob," Sandy agreed. "Or as I should call you, 'Spongeward'. Anyway, you just do whatever the heck Squidward normally does."

"Relax Sandy," he assured her. "I have it all planned out."

"I hope so," Sandy responded. "And Spongeward, even though your filling in Squidward's shoes…err, shirt, I just want yah to know, your still _Spongebob_ to me."

"Dawwww," Spongebob started to blush a little. "Thanks for that Sandy."

"Anytime partner," she slaps him on the back in a rather friendly manner, resulting in them chuckling for a moment or so. "You have a nice day, Spongeward."

"You too Sandra," Spongebob waved to her.

"And as for you Squidbob, remember; karate practice today," she gave him the 'I got my eyes on you' gesture with her hands. "Be there, or be _square_."

She then waves to both of them before walking off. Squidward was heard mumbling some more incoherent things under his breath that has to do with the karate practice she mentioned.

"Dahahahaha, oh boy. Sandy is sure a _funny_ one. She told you to be _there _or be _**square**__, _which is funny because you're wearing my _square pants_," Spongebob couldn't help but cackle at that.

"Oh yes. That one joke was to _die_ for, wasn't it," Squidward retorted sarcastically.

Spongebob completely disregarded the sarcasm as he started to cease the laughter. Afterwards, a thought crossed his mind as he then grew a smirk on his face while looking at Squidward.

"Well…?"

Now, this got Squidward confused as he looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, _what_?" He queried with confusion.

"Weren't you thinking of_ kissing_ Sandy on the front of her helmet," the sponge giggled mischievously.

"Bleck, as if," the octopus gagged at what Spongebob just said. "I would _never _dream of giving your squirrel friend a kiss on the front of her helmet."

"Yeah," Spongebob nodded in understanding. "It _wouldn't_ be the _same_ anyway…"

It was then he sighed dreamily while a slight blush crossed his face at what he was referring to.

"Right, whatever you say," Squidward didn't take notice of Spongebob blushing. Not like he cared anyway. He also didn't care about what Spongebob was implying, or what he was referring to. "Anyway, today is Saturday, so don't you think we should be heading to work? I mean it's almost 8 o'clock."

"Great Barrier Reef, you're right! Thanks for the reminder," Spongebob's blush faded as he snapped his finger. "Oh, I can't forget about my Krusty Krab uniform!"

With that, Spongebob put on the Krusty Krab hat that he normally wears on the days he works at the fine eating establishment. Squidward then followed this and got on his Krusty Krab hat too. Surprisingly, both of them had the hat in their possession in spite of trading clothes just yesterday. They then headed for the restaurant.

"You know Squidward, I have to wonder," Spongebob mused. "How do you think Mr. Krabs will react when he sees that we've traded lives and clothes with each other?"

"Oh please," the octopus scoffed. "Knowing that crustacean cheapskate, he wouldn't give a hoot as long as he gets his money."

"You have a point there," he admitted. "He wouldn't mind just as long as we do the duties that we've traded with each other."

"Right…" Squidward said in a casual tone, as they made the trek to the Krusty Krab.

* * *

It didn't take them long, but they eventually made it to the restaurant that they work at. They took in the sight before them as this was the beginning of another workday, with a twist this time.

"There it is, Squidward; the Krusty Krab, home of the Krabby Patties," Spongebob said with awe.

"Also the home to my worst nightmare," Squidward added coldly.

"Are you sure you up for this Squiddy," the sponge questioned. "Are you going to be able to handle this?"

Seeing that there was no backing out now, he had no choice but to suck it up and get through the day taking on Spongebob's regular duties. Letting out a sigh, he had a look of annoyance.

"Let's just get this over with."

"Aye, aye captain," was the enthusiastic response that his neighbor gave to him.

The two of them made their way through the entrance to get ready for the workday. They were completely unaware of the challenges that they will be facing, and that there will be a lot in store for both of them today, at work _and_ outside of work…

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER 1…**

**Well, that's it for this chapter. In spite of it only being the beginning, I do hope you are enjoying what I wrote so far.**

**One thing that I'd like to point out; the Snail Po scene. The 'wet snail food' part is inspired by the fact that I have a black fluffy cat with a white belly named Bitty (who I sometimes call 'Boota') who loves to have her wet cat food during the dinner hours, and there are days where she meows extra loud for everyone to hear. Just something I felt like sharing.**

**Anyway, the next chapter is going to have me incorporate some research from the Wiki site, such as the cost to the Krusty Krab meals. I will do the math and how much money the customer was supposed to get back, and some other stuff. Yeah, both Spongebob and Squidward will see that neither of the lives their living are easy and are backbreaking. I do hope you look forward to that.**

**Until then, I'm allowing some constructive criticism for this story, like my past couple of stories. All of you are welcome to tell me what I'm doing wrong and if there's anything I need to fix. I aim at making this story the best I could, and your constructive criticism will help me greatly, so please feel free to do so. Or if you don't have any of that, you can just leave a review and tell me what you think of this so far.**

**Aside from that, that's all I have for now. So I guess you guys can just stay tuned for when the next chapter comes out. And with this all said and done, thank you for reading this chapter everyone.**


	2. This Life Is Tougher Than I Thought

**Okay readers, here is the second chapter to this story!**

**Yeah, I don't expect this story to have the same amount of success as my Loud House stories, and I am not hoping for it either. Still, I appreciate the support of the people who do like this story previously, and I hope you will all stick around for the remainder of it.**

**One more thing I'd like to share before the chapter can start. I would love to give my applause to another user; **_**Skillet-Writer**_**. She told me ala PMs about how I should have characters like Spongebob and Squidward speak more simplistically rather than have them speak with sophisticated and fancy terms. That stuff should be saved for intelligent characters and characters that are of the upper class or rich class such as Squilliam. I've just been using synonyms to keep certain words from becoming repetitive, but her advice helps me out too. So thanks Skilly for aiding me in _this_.**

**Now for this chapter, Spongebob and Squidward work at the Krusty Krab with their traded jobs, some hysteria will occur, and the difficulties with their traded lives will be exemplified here. If you want to know how this'll go, read the chapter and find out! Enjoy!**

* * *

**AT THE KRUSTY KRAB – IN BIKINI BOTTOM:**

Inside the Krusty Krab, it was shown that Spongebob and Squidward had already made their way indoors. They were all ready with getting on with the workday. _Some_ were more enthusiastic than _others_ though. In this case, Spongebob was the one who was hyped about starting the day with manhandling the register.

"I'm looking forward to handling the cash register today," he sighed. "Yes. Today is going to be a glorious day of work."

Even though Squidward wasn't as thrilled about today as he was, he couldn't help but imagine the look on Spongebob's face where he is stressing out with the register.

"I dunno Spongebob," he said quite smugly. "Are you sure you can handle being a cashier in my place?"

"No problem-o Squidward. I got this down," Spongebob replied with confidence. "I should be more concerned about _you_. Are you going to handle being a frycook for the day? While maintaining the food and such?"

"As if. I've got no reason to worry," Squidward brushed off. "I'll have it all taken care of. Believe me, _this'll _be a cinch."

"If you say so, Squidward," the sponge shrugged.

It was then Mr. Krabs chose the appropriate time to step out of his office. He overheard his two employees speaking and he decided to greet them.

"Ahoy me Krusty crew, Spongebob and Squidward," the crustacean greeted. "Is everyone all ready to set sail and-?"

He then cut himself off when he noticed something. Spongebob and Squidward weren't in their usual clothes. Rather, they have traded each other's outfits. Something about this was fishy to the crab, and it threw him off.

"A'right! I demand an explanation," he commanded. "What in blazes is with the wardrobe change? You two look like you're ready to sail the ocean blue or somethin'."

"Oh no Mr. Krabs. This isn't a wardrobe change at all," Spongebob shook his head. "Squidward and I have traded lives with each other to see who has it harder. And thus we traded clothes as a result."

This got the crab confused for a second or so before started laughing it off as if it was a practical joke.

"Arg arg arg arg arg! Boy-o, you certainly had me going with that one," Mr. Krabs chuckled as he wiped a tear. "Fer a minute there, I thought that you two were up to some tomfoolery and that this whole shindig was a load of barnacles."

"This _isn't _a joke, Eugene," Squidward deadpanned.

This caught the crustacean a little off guard for a second there, realizing that they were serious about all of this. Afterwards, he decided to shake it off and not care about the whole details behind it.

"I don't want to know anymore of the details. All I demand from you two is that you keep this ship going on the double, by getting on with your respective duties," he told them. "Me money isn't going to be counting itself with you two lads just standing there. Now get to work!"

With that, Mr. Krabs headed back to his office. As soon as he was gone, Squidward was then heard grumbling something incoherent under his breath as he proceeds to head to the kitchen.

"You heard the boss," Spongebob cracked his hands. "Let's get cracking."

"Spongebob, are you sure you know how to handle the cash register?" The cephalopod queried one last time.

"Peeshaw Squiddy," Spongebob waved his hand. "As Patrick says about Wumbology;_ it's all first grade_."

"What's **Wumbology** got to do with-?" Squidward started, but then stopped himself, seeing that he was about to enter 'idiot' territory. "You know what? Forget it. I don't care. I'll be in the kitchen."

"And I'll be out _here_," Spongebob hollered, getting himself comfy in the boat. "Just let me know if you need help with the grill!"

"Trust me, I'll be fine!" He hollered back.

"That's all I wanted to know," Spongebob turned to face the front door to see someone coming. "Oh lookie here! We have our first customer!"

"Oh joy. Humor the customer for me, will you," he asked sarcastically.

"With pleasure," was the response that Spongebob gave.

The customer, in particular, was revealed to be a familiar face to the crew. He was known as Fred. He was a fish had stopped by daily, and is also prone to injuries or accidents, mostly on the leg. He entered the restaurant and headed right for the cash register.

"Well hi there," Spongebob greeted casually. "Welcome to the Krusty Krab."

"Yeah. Hey," the greeting was brief. "Listen, I'd like to make my order from this-"

Ultimately, he was cut off when he saw something different about the cashier today. He was quick to point it out.

"Say, is it me, or are you different today?" Fred questioned. "You look more yellow. Not to mention your _square_. The cashier I know was taller and blue."

"Dahahahaha! Oh, that's a good one," he laughed. "But yeah, I am different from the typical cashier. I'm usually the frycook, but I traded lives with Squidward due to a deal we made. Now he's running the grill while I'm handling the cash register. It's just for this occasion though."

Needless to say, Fred couldn't have cared less. It did not matter who was running the cash register or the grill. All that was important was that he got his order. The same applies to _all_ of the other customers in the eating establishment.

"Look, I don't care who's doing _what_. All that I care about is my appetite and I would like you guys to whip up those fryers," he told him. "I'd like to place my order."

"Of course Fred," Spongebob got out a note pad and a pencil. "And what will it be today?"

"Oh the usual," Fred stated. "I would like to have 2 regular Krabby Patties."

"Would you like sea cheese on both of them?" Spongebob questioned, writing it down.

"Yes please," Fred nodded. "And with that, I would also like a large kelp fry and a medium soda. I'll be eating here just so you know."

The sponge took a few moments to write this all out. When he got it, he was more than ready to tell Squidward the order.

"Okay. Hey Squidward," he called out. "I'll need you to whip up two Krabby Patties with sea cheese on them, and a large kelp fry to go with it, along with a medium soda!"

"Coming right up," Squidward called out before getting to work. It was simple. He places two patties on the grill and put a pack of kelp fries into the fryer. He started up both of them.

_There. All taken care of. _Squidward thought. _Now I just need to find the cheese._

And the search for the cheese was on for the octopus. He was unaware that finding it would be tougher than he expected.

* * *

Back with Spongebob, he was totaling the price for each item that was ordered, using the Gallery Grub above him for reference. Once he had all of it written down, he got to work on the math.

"Okay. So 1 Krabby Patty is $1.25, and adding the price for the sea cheese, which is $1.50, will make it $2.75," he was muttering under his breath. "I multiply that by 2 and it comes out to be $5.50. The large Kelp fries are $1.50, and a medium soda would be $1.25. I just add this together and it comes out to be…"

He then added up all of the items before he got the price he was looking for.

"Okay sir, your order is going to be **$8.25**," he told him.

"Great," Fred told him before giving him a 10 dollar bill. "But I'm afraid you'll have to settle for 10 dollars. This is all that I have at the moment."

"No problem at all," Spongebob smiled. "I just have to give you the proper amount of money back. All I have to do is…"

He started to trail off when he looked into the cash register. A frown was plastered on his face. He was no longer focused on doing the math as the inside of the register was confusing. This led to some extreme pressure for the sea sponge. He was shown stuttering and sweating for a moment or so, while Fred looked at him with a raised eyebrow. It was then he came to the decision.

"Uh…I got it," he shouted, grabbing a random amount of change from the cash register and gave it to Fred. "Here's your change sir."

Fred was relieved for a moment before counting the money, which made him bamboozled. Something wasn't right with the amount he received.

"Uh…sir? I'm not sure if this is a practical joke, but I think you made a mistake," Fred informed him. "You were off. This is $4.25. It's $2.50 **_more_** than what I needed. I only need **$1.75** back!"

"Whoops! Hehehehe," Spongebob giggled nervously. "My mistake. I'll get straight to fixing it right away…"

He tried to collect the right amount of money for Fred, but the stress that has overcome him left him in a state of panic. He didn't know what to do.

* * *

**"MEANWHILE…"**

In the kitchen, Squidward was having just as much trouble with his duties. He was frantically searching for the cheese for what seemed to take over 15 minutes. It was becoming a hassle for him.

"Come on, come on! Where is the stupid cheese," he grunted as he searched through all the cabinets. Suddenly, he looked up towards a shelf and noticed the cheese was up there this whole time. Brushing off the humiliating revelation, he went and grabbed it.

"Ah-ha! Gotcha," he smirked.

But the moment was ruined when he smelled something burning.

"Sniff sniff, that's odd. What's burning," he asked himself before he realized what it was. "THE PATTIES ARE BURNING!"

Without hesitating, he rushed to the grill to see that the patties were burned and overcooked. He had to wave away the smoke while having a coughing fit.

Believe it or not, this wasn't the first time he had trouble with this. There were two other instances where this happened. The first was when he took over as frycook when Spongebob lost his confidence, due to seemingly forgetting the pickles for Bubble Bass. And the second instance was when Spongebob went out on a break with Patrick as the two of them played hooky; literally and figuratively. This was the third time this happened, and if this is any indication, it shows that he sucks at cooking patties. Despite this, he wasn't going to be brought down by this.

"Oh tartar sauce," he coughed. "What else is new?"

Then suddenly, something else was burning. It was the kelp fries that were in the fryer. He had forgotten about those and they were overcooked.

_**"SHRIMP!**_ I FORGOT ABOUT THE KELP FRIES!" He rushed over to the fryer and saw that the fries were charred. He only got to see it for a minute before some of the oil splashed in his face. "YOWCH! MY_ EYES!_"

He winced for a few moments before tripping over a barrel that was behind him. After he wiped the oil clear from his face with his tentacles, he got a glimpse at both the patties and the fries burned and charred. He then murmured to himself.

"Ugh, this is tougher than I thought it would be," he rubbed his temple.

* * *

"Holy fish paste! This is tougher than I thought it would be," Spongebob was heard echoing the same thing.

He had spent the last 10 minutes or so struggling to get the right amount of cash to Fred. And because of that, a rather long line had formed right behind Fred as people were growing ever so impatient with the service.

"Come on already," one of the fish hollered.

"I'm losing my appetite!" Another one roared.

"This restaurant has _poor_ service today," a white-haired female fish known as Nancy sneered. "What is taking so long!?"

"What's the hold-up," another fish who goes by the name Tom jeered.

"Let's get a move on people," Tom's wife barked impatiently. "This isn't a _chocolate_ factory we are waiting in line for!"

"_Chocolate?_ Oh how I'd love to have some _chocolate_ right now," Tom growled. "It would at least put me at ease from waiting in this _dreadful_ line."

"Don't start with me today Tom," his wife chastised him.

"Yes dear," he said dully.

"Oh come off it already! Most of us are growing _old _and _grey _here," an elderly fish known as Old Man Jenkins bellowed, waving his cane. "I want my Flabby Dabby and I WANT **IT **_**NOW!"**_

The people looked at him with a blank look for a second, before turning back to chew out the service of the place. Spongebob decided to put things at ease with the line.

"Alright, no need to fuss people! I've got this covered," he assured them. "I'm going to get this line moving post-haste!"

Without warning, he smashed his hand onto a button of the cash register. This turned out to be a bad idea though, for it caused the drawer to the cash register to be sent flying off. It was launched out and slammed onto the ground, where it landed right on top of-

_**"****MY LEG!" **_Fred howled in agony, as he started wincing and bouncing on one foot while clutching the leg that the drawer landed on.

This got Spongebob to react immediately as he rushed to check on Fred.

"Holy Krabby Patties! Are you alright Fred," he questioned with concern.

"My leg," he moaned weakly as he kept bouncing. _"My leg…"_

Hearing the commotion, Squidward stormed out of the kitchen with the two burnt Krabby Patties and the charred kelp fries on a plate.

"What's going on here," he quizzed while heading towards them.

Ultimately, since he didn't look where he was going, he ended up tripping over a wincing Fred who was clutching his leg. Both of them fell onto the ground while the plate of burnt food got sent flying. The charred up kelp fries hit one of the male fish folks in the face. And because of how hot the fries were, this was the appropriate reaction:

**"MY FACE!" **He cried, running in all directions. **"IT BURNS!"**

And then there were the two burned up patties which ended up hitting Tom in the eyes. One of them made contact with his left eye, the other his right eye. He reacted immediately.

_**"MY EYES!" **_Tom squealed in pain. _**"MY EYES!" **_

"Honey...?" His wife trailed off, looking concerned for her husband.

It was then one of the patties hit her in the face.

_**"AHHHHHHHH!"**_

It was at that moment chaos and pandemonium plagued the Krusty Krab since the customers were panicking and screaming as if a natural disaster was taking place. They were tripping over tables and chairs, tipping them over in the process, and they even broke a window or two.

As that was going on, Spongebob noticed the patties were overcooked and the fries were burnt. He then talked to Squidward about it.

"Squidward, you burnt the patties and fries again, didn't you," he asked him.

"Uhhh…" Squidward smiled nervously.

"For clam sake Squidward, if you were having trouble, you should have told me," he shouted. "You are supposed to heat the grill to 298°F. And to make the patties well-done, they have to be at 160°F, and they take 8 to 9 minutes to cook while flipping in between!"

"Well, you see…"

"And then there's the kelp fries! They have to go into the fryer with the oil set at 400°F," the sponge pointed out. "And they have to cook for 12 to 18 minutes!"

"Well excuse me for not having the perfect touch Mr. Squarepants! This isn't the first time this has happened you know," the octopus countered. "And besides, you have no right to talk. You're having just as much trouble with the cash register as I am having with the food!"

Spongebob would have remarked, except he didn't have one. It was true. He was having trouble with the cash register, and the chaotic sight before them as proof. All he could do was watch the madness with Squidward that was going on right now.

The people were screaming and hooting all over the place.

**"MY LEG!"**

_"MY FACE!"_

_**"****MY EYES!"**_

**"THAT'S ENOUGH!" **A voice bellowed from Mr. Krabs' office as the crustacean himself stormed out to see what was going on. "Now can someone tell me what in the name of salty sea dogs is causing this ruckus!?"

"I'll tell you what's causing this ruckus," Fred started. "I was just waiting for my food to arrive and to get my change back when the drawer to the cash register slammed right on top of my leg!"

"I was hit in the face by burnt kelp fries," a male fish pointed out. "And it burns."

"I got hit in the eyes by two overcooked patties," Tom complained. "One of them hit my wife!"

"The line was holding up," Nancy protested. "And it was taking so long."

"I didn't get my medium soda," Fred brought up.

"And I slipped on some grease and broke my hip," Old Man Jenkins argued. "My cane can only do so much for an old geezer like me!"

"And it's all because of that sponge and octopus who _swapped_ duties for the day," everyone chimed in unison.

This, in turn, resulted in the crab to whip around to face the two in question. He then dished out a glower right in their direction.

"So, it has come to _this_. The Krusty crew _had_ to be the cause to this rift raft, eh," Mr. Krabs scolded them. "It's clear to me that your newfound positions aren't working out. They are causing more harm than good. You boys are not going to drive me customers and their money away from the Krusty Krab, where we lose them to the Chum Bucket. I ought to make you scallywags walk the plank for this."

With that, the crab turned his attention to his hard-working employee first and foremost. He then delivered the sea sponge this statement.

"I hate to say this me boy, but I'm sending ya home for the day until you have gotten this whole thing straightened out. So pack yer things, laddie. Yer going home." the crustacean told him.

"Well, if I'm being dismissed, then I have no say in it," Spongebob sighed solemnly. "I'll be seeing ya later, Mr. K."

"See ya boy-o."

Spongebob then walked out the front door, still wearing Squidward's shirt. Squidward was about to walk out as well, but Mr. Krabs had _other plans _in store for him.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, MR. SQUIDWARD!" Mr. Krabs called out to him. "There are a few important things that I'd like you to do _before_ you leave."

This got the octopus nervous, as he was wondering what he wanted him to do. Sweat was pouring down his forehead.

"Y-Yes, Mr. Krabs," Squidward asked worriedly.

"Oh it's nothing much," he informed him. "It's just that, since you've taken over Spongebob's tasks fer the day, I'm almost certain that you could take care of some cleaning that he usually does."

This got him fearful, as he knew where this was going. A lump formed on his throat as he could hardly anticipate what was coming his way.

"What do you mean Eugene?" The cephalopod gulped anxiously.

"I mean cleanin' out me restaurant," he instructed. "Clean the grill, scrub the latrines, swab the poop-deck, mop the floors, and then you can clean the windows. That includes the back windows near the dump."

This set the cephalopod into a state of panic. This was the kind of thing he was dreading the most since he was taking over _all_ of Spongebob's tasks. He decided to express himself to his cheapskate boss.

"You can't be serious, Mr. Krabs," he complained.

"Aye, but I am," the crab stood firm. "And when I say 'clean the back windows of the Krusty Krab', I mean clean them good. Best hope there ain't any sea urchins _or _eels lurking around, because those will be a problem. So start cleanin' Squidward!"

Squidward didn't want to do this. He seriously didn't want to. He was reluctant with wanting to do all of these tasks. Unfortunately, he saw it coming since he's taking Spongebob's place, and he doesn't get a say in it anyway. So he had to suck it up and get it done. He let out a heavy sigh as he went back in.

"Ugh. Very well then," the cephalopod grouched, entering the Krusty Krab.

"That's more like it," Mr. Krabs encouraged. "Make me eating establishment look clean."

Right before Squidward started the tasks, this thought ran clear throughout his mind:

_This is not going to end well for me…_

* * *

**"ELSEWHERE; A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER…"**

"I take back what I said earlier," Spongebob murmured, holding his hand to his head. "This life _is _**tougher **than I thought it would be…"

Believe it or not, Spongebob had spent the past couple of hours doing the stuff that Squidward typically does. He had gotten done with writing poetry, creating paintings, writing out compositions, attending dance rehearsals, and displays all of the work to the respective committees that they belong to. It's also worth mentioning that the people that are running the board to the committees had exclaimed that while Spongebob's works were decent and average at most, it wasn't what they were looking for. As a result, they rejected them and had them put in the trash. This got the young sponge to get all worked up over the fact that the hard work he made was all for nothing.

"Fried oysters, Squidward's life isn't as easy as I hope that it would be," he groaned. "And I recently got done with paying the bill to his house. I can't believe that it was that expensive."

Indeed. The bill to Squidward's house was very pricey. It's a surprise that Mr. Krabs _wasn't_ the one who wrote out the bill for the house. In total, the bill was approximately $1,000. Combined with the _cheap _paycheck that Mr. K gave to him, the sponge had no choice but to fork over some extra cash that he had leftover to pay off the debt. Needless to say, it was an exhausting experience for him.

"Maybe going back to Squidward's house will help me," he insisted. "Some relaxing would be good right about now."

And so the sponge decided to head back to Squidward's home to unwind for a bit after what he had been through so far today.

As he was walking home, his sight stumbled upon another familiar face. Said face, in particular, was revealed to be Larry the Lobster. It appears that he just got done with some shopping and was on his way home. Being one of the strongest sea creatures in Bikini Bottom, in no part due to the constant working out, Larry has a reputation for being respected amongst gymnasts, as well as his fitness program down at the gym. Spongebob had to respect the lobster. Even though they don't see eye to eye, they tend to be on good terms.

A smile crossed the sponge's face as he couldn't help but give his usual greetings.

"Hey, Larry," he called out to him, getting the lobster's attention.

Larry took a good look at him and saw how exhausted he looked.

"Whoa. Spongebob, what's happening dude? You look like you just got out of a workout down at the gym," Larry started, before noticing Spongebob's shirt. "And what's up with the new shirt? Did you decide on a new wardrobe change bro?"

"Oh? Do you mean this? This isn't a new t-shirt. This is Squidward's t-shirt that I traded with him while giving him my squarepants," Spongebob told him. "And as for why I'm exhausted, I had a busy day so far. And it's kind of a long story."

"Well I have some time to kill, so lay it down on me," Larry suggested.

"Okay. To put it simply; Squidward and I decided to trade lives to see who has it worse. This happened after a discussion we had yesterday while we were walking home from work. As such, we traded lives, clothes, and even our homes," the sea sponge explained. "And today while I was working the register, Squidward was handling the grill. This didn't go well, so I was released early. I took care of the stuff that Squidward typically does, such as writing poems, compositions, painting pictures, taking part in dancing, and even paying an expensive house bill. This is why I feel exhausted. Because I have figured out that his life is tougher than I thought, and now I'm going to go back to his house to relax for a bit."

As soon as Spongebob finished his explanation, Larry took it all in for a moment or so. Even though he wasn't the brightest bulb in Bikini Bottom (he prefers brawns over brains), he was still smart enough to have some common sense. Even then, some of what Spongebob told him was a bit confusing since he was never in a situation like that one before.

The next few moments were filled with silence between the two before Larry finally voiced his thoughts.

"Wow. That must've been crazy, dude. When I saw you wearing that t-shirt, I had assumed that you were trying out a whole new look," he confessed. "That or you were trying a new workout routine. You know bro; if you like I can help you with the whole work out routine since it's my thing."

"Well thanks, Larry, but I'm good," Spongebob insisted. "I just got done paying the bills, so I'm all set. I just want to relax."

"If you say so, then that's fine by me. But if you ever need someone to teach you about working out, I'm your dude. You got it, Spongebro," Larry told him.

"Yeah, I'll keep it in mind the next time it comes to me," Spongebob nodded.

"Awesome. Well, I might as well be heading back to my crib," Larry decided to go back to his business. "Later dude!"

"Later Larry," Spongebob hollered back while watching Larry walk off.

As soon as the lobster was out of sight, Spongebob felt the need to get back to the house he was staying at, just to chill out. This didn't take long though, because he made it back to the house in a short amount of time. As soon as he approached the door, he came to a halt and began to stretch out his legs and arms.

_Finally, I made it back to the house. _Spongebob thought in relief. _I might as well break out a lawn chair and chill out in the front yard for a bit. I have no idea what Squidward is doing, but I can just relax until he gets back._

With that in mind, Spongebob went into the Easter Island head home to break out a lawn chair. Once he did that, he went out to the front yard and set the chair up. Then he took a moment to stretch out and sat down on the lawn chair. He made himself comfortable while lying down and soaking in the sun rays beaming over the area.

_Ah, now this is more like it. _He sighed. _Now I can get some relaxing in for a bit._

With that, he went to relaxing with no disturbances occurring for a good amount of time…

* * *

**"A FEW MINUTES LATER…"**

It was then Squidward chose the appropriate time to finally show up to the scene. As it is, he was completely covered in filth and crud from all the dirty jobs that he had to do as requested by Mr. Krabs. By the looks of indignation on his face, it was the worst experience that he went through. In addition to that, he also sported a black eye on his left eye that he got from a certain instance. To go with that, he had a bump on the right side of his head; as if he was stung by a jellyfish. As he arrived, Spongebob took notice of him and got up.

"Hey Squidward," he greeted, approached the irritated octopus. "Gee, you look like you had quite a day."

"Don't rub it in," Squidward let out his frustration. "That crustacean cheapskate had assigned me the duties of cleaning the restaurant. It was the stuff you do every workday, such as cleaning the grill, washing the tables, scrubbing the latrines, swabbing the poop-deck, mopping the floors, and wiping the windows!"

"I told you its hard work," Spongebob told him.

"I even had to do the back windows right next to the deck," Squidward felt a chill go down his spine from recalling that. "I'm just surprised that I didn't encounter any sea urchins or eels while cleaning those windows."

"I get what you're saying."

"So all in all, this has been a _lousy_ day," Squidward grumbled. "This turned out to be _harder_ than I thought."

"Tell me about it," Spongebob moaned. "I just got done doing all of the stuff that you do; from writing poems, composition, painting pictures, dancing lessons, down to paying an overpriced house bill, it left me tired. This was harder than I thought."

"I warned you that my life wasn't any easier than your life," Squidward snorted.

It was then Spongebob noticed the black eye. He had to wonder why he didn't notice it sooner, and his curiosity was building up inside of him.

"Hey by the way Squiddy, what happened to your eye?" He pointed to it.

"_Sandy_, that's what," Squidward hissed. "I took part in the karate practices, and I told her that I know _**nothing **_about karate. Despite this, she didn't go easy on me, and she held **nothing **back, thus leading me to gain this black eye."

Spongebob couldn't help but chuckle at the predicament. At the same time, however, he also felt empathy for his neighbor. This led to the expression that he gave to him.

"Sorry to hear that Squidward," he said. "Sandy is pretty skilled with karate, and sometimes, she tends to _overdo_ it a little. I should know because I do it with her all the time."

"Now you tell me," the octopus retorted. "Oh, and I got stung by a jellyfish while coming back here."

Spongebob shook his head at the day Squidward has been having so far. It wasn't any better than what he was going through today.

"I'm still sorry though," Spongebob apologized again. "I've had a difficult day too."

"The worst part is that it's not even _over_ yet," Squidward gripped. "I still have my clarinet recitals today! And since you're in my shoes, you'll have to attend in my place!"

"Holy bivalves! That reminds me," Spongebob remembered something. "I still have to take my boating exam today! And because you are in my shoes Squidward, you will have to fill in for me."

_By Neptune, he's right. _Squidward realized the truth.

As silence clouded the two of them for a couple of minutes, they were completely lost in thought with what was coming their way. In Squidward's case, he already had a dreadful as it is, and honestly, he felt that he had nothing else to lose at that point. Spongebob, meanwhile, tried to keep a small amount of optimism in spite of what he had been through so far. He just hoped that it's better than what he already took part in today.

* * *

After a few minutes of tranquility, Spongebob went and offered Squidward a suggestion.

"Hey Squidward," he started. "Would it be alright if I watch you take part in the boating exam?"

Squidward thought about it for a minute, before giving to him a similar response.

"Only if you'll allow me to witness your clarinet recital," he insisted.

"Hmmm," Spongebob thought for a minute and felt it was a reasonable deal. "Alright, Squidward. You got yourself a deal."

"Okay. Let's shake on it."

And that's exactly what they did. They shook each other's hands to make it clear that they were going to live up to the agreement. They then made their comments about the arrangement

"Heh, heh, you know something," Squidward spoke first. "Seeing you take part in my clarinet recital could put me in a better mood."

"_Especially when I see you tank the performance…" _He murmured the last part quietly.

"Dahahaha, I get what you mean Squidward," Spongebob agreed. "Seeing you take part in my boating exam could brighten my day a little."

"So anyway," the cephalopod started. "Shall we go to your clarinet recitals first?"

"Sure," the sea sponge agreed with this. "And then we can head on over to your boating exam."

"You got it."

As soon as that was decided, the two of them walked off to Spongebob's clarinet recitals first, and then head to Squidward's boating exam afterwards. As they were walking side-by-side, an identical thought ran through both of their heads that were as clear as day.

_This might make __**my**__ day a little more interesting..._

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER 2…**

**And that's it for this chapter. I do hope you have enjoyed it, everyone.**

**Before I forget, I'd like to bring up one thing. This story is **_**NOT **_**like Squidbob Tentaclepants, **** in spite of the name of the story. In this story, they aren't conjoined. They simply traded lives and are learning how difficult life is. Not only that, but there is also a large amount of Reality Ensues, in regards that just because you traded someone else's life doesn't mean you become adept at it from day 1. The same applies to the fact that your personality doesn't change even when you trade lives with someone else. I hope I cleared that up.**

**Now that that's all set, I'd like to share about the elements in the chapter. **

**As I found out on the Wiki, there isn't a consistent price for a Krabby Patty, so I had to use the image of the Gallery Grub to get an accurate price. Also, there weren't any kelp fries on it, so I improvised with the price for kelp rings from the Gallery Grub. **

**Then there's the part with cooking the patties and the fries. I used the patty cooking instructions from a recipe for burgers that I found online, in both the temperature of the patty and the amount of time it takes. As for the fries, I looked on the back of a freezer bag of crinkle fries that I have in the freezer and used the temperature of the fryer with oil, and the time it takes to cook that was shown on the bag, and included it in this chapter too.**

**And then there's this; the mention of sea urchins and eels at the part where he had to clean the back windows near the dump was inspired by how I had to wash the windows on the outside of my house, with the fear of spiders and snakes fresh on my minds. Seeing that sea urchins and eels are essentially the sea equivalent of spiders and snakes respectively, I felt that this would make sense, so that's why I did this. **

**Now that I have that covered, the next chapter will display Spongebob and Squidward taking part in their clarinet recital and boating exam respectively, and some shocking surprises will be revealed too. If you are wondering what those will be, you'll have to find out next time.**

**In the meantime, you can leave constructive criticism for this story if you have any. It would help with enhancing my writing. If not, you can just leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter.**

**Otherwise, that's all I have to say here. So until next time, I do hope you look forward to the rest of the story and the direction it's going in. And lastly, thanks for reading everyone!**


	3. Jealousy Over One's Hidden Talent

**Alright now fellow readers, here is the third chapter to this story, as I promised you.**

**Now I don't have much to say for this author note, aside from the fact that this chapter will show the irony in the traded lives; in which Spongebob will be good at something Squidward is an amateur at most with, and Squidward is going to be at something that Spongebob sucks at doing. This, in turn, will result in some jealousy that gets triggered in both of them (more so with Squidward than with Spongebob), and it'll spark a déjà vu in Spongebob too. **

**If you all want to know how this is going to go, you'll have to find out for yourself. For now, just sit back and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**AT THE RECREATION CENTER – IN BIKINI BOTTOM:**

Sometime later, at the recreation center, the clarinet recitals were already getting underway. A lot of the fish folks were attending the show tonight to witness the creativity that Neptune has bestowed upon them. It was then Squidward and Spongebob had arrived at the location, ready to get the recitals done and over with. The former wanted to watch the latter bomb the performance, while the latter graciously got prepared for his clarinet performance.

"Well, here it is," Squidward said. "The Recreation Center; where the clarinet recitals are taking place."

"I'll say," Spongebob replied. "And it looks like the recitals are well into the sessions."

"No doubt," Squidward snickered to himself. "Those barnacle heads don't stand a chance. Heh, heh, heh…"

Spongebob did not pay attention to Squidward's reaction. He was looking forward to getting his turn on the stage, and showcase his performance. All that he needed was the clarinet himself. Since Squidward still had the clarinet and Spongebob _didn't_, it was quite clear what he had to do now.

"Well Squidward, since I'm going to be performing in your place, I'm going to need your clarinet," he extracted his hand out. "Would you mind handing it over to me? I promise I'll give it back when I'm done."

"Right, of course," he grumbled before fishing out his clarinet. He was hesitant with it at first, but eventually, he handed it over. "Here you go."

"Thank you Squiddy," he took it with pride and confidence. "I'll give it back when this is over."

"Oh Spongebob, are you sure you can do that performance," the cephalopod asked. "You might not do well with your act."

"It's no problem-o," Spongebob brushed off. "Besides, I've already made it this far and there's no turning back now."

"If you say so," the octopus shrugged indifferently. "Just be sure to break a leg out there for me."

"You can count on it Squidward," he beamed, ignoring the obvious sarcasm leaking in the voice.

"Uh-huh, sure I can. I'll be out here watching your performance," said Squidward.

"Great! Well, here I go," the sponge stormed into the building with excitement, hoping that this'll go smoothly.

Squidward stood to the side, already getting the feeling as to how this performance will go.

_This is going to be good. That sponge fool is going to tank this performance for sure. I can see it already. _Squidward mused. _This I gotta see, especially after the type of day I've had so far. I could use some laughter right about now. _

It was then Squidward to laugh smugly, already anticipating the result that'll come from all of this, as he waited for Spongebob's turn to go up…

Inside of the Recreation Center, Spongebob was standing on the sideline, waiting for his turn to play. In the meantime, he was just watching the current clarinet player perform. The player was revealed to be a snazzy fish. The song that was being played was Tchaikovsky's _Symphony 4,_ and to the young sponge, it sounded beautiful to the holes on his head.

_Wow. That guy is good. _Spongebob smiled modestly. _I don't think I'll be able to top that performance. _

Spongebob had some doubts about his clarinet performance, but at least he'll be able to have fun while doing it. Plus, this was for Squidward since he was playing out his life.

* * *

After several minutes, the fish had finally concluded his performance. Needless to say, the audience was clapping out of applause. Meanwhile, the judge was mildly impressed with the act. The judge was described to be a very fancy and shabby looking fish; an anchovy to be precise. He was dressed entirely like the typical rich class folk, and he even had the accent to go with it.

The judge was shown clapping his hands at the performance and expressed himself.

"I say, that has to be one of the most heartfelt performances I've seen all day," he applauded, speaking in a strong British accent. "That was a marvelous act you put on for us tonight, Mr. Charles."

"Thank you, sir," the fish known as Charles took a bow out of respect. "I was honored to perform for you tonight, Judge Phil."

"Splendid," the judge known as Phil ceased his clapping. "Anyhow, you are dismissed."

"Alright," with that, Charles got off the stage and made his way out of the building. In turn, the audience stopped applauding and went silent. They were waiting for the next person to go up, as the judge looked at his note board with the list of people to go on.

"Alright folks, it seems we only have one person left," he told them. "And the last person to go on for the day is…" Judge Phil saw the name and then deadpanned. "Mr. Squidward Tentacles."

This caused the crowd to start jeering and complaining, knowing that this is going to be a rotten and irritating performance. Truth be told, the people of Bikini Bottom never liked Squidward's clarinet playing, since he was always performing off-key. Because of this, the crowd always knew to bring ear protection for when the grumpy octopus goes up to perform. To prove it, some of them took out earplugs to block out the hideous noise. But before they could do so, Spongebob stepped up and got the judge's performance.

"Hold up people! I'm here," Spongebob waved his clarinet to show he's performing. "And I have the clarinet all ready to perform tonight!"

This got the crowd confused since this sponge looked nothing like Squidward. The judge, meanwhile, was perplexed by this as he raised an eyebrow.

"I beg your pardon," he quizzed. "If I recall, Mr. Squidward was taller, and he was blue. Not shaped like a sponge."

"Dahahaha. That's a good one, Mr. Phil, sir," the sponge then introduced himself. "You see, my real name is Spongebob, or in this situation, I'm Spongeward. And I'll be taking Squidward's place in the clarinet performance tonight."

It was then the audience gasped out of surprise. They didn't expect a substitute to take Squidward's place, so what was going on? The judge looked equally curious about this.

"I see," he tapped his chin with his pen. "Dear boy, please tell us the reason for this substitution, if you please?"

"Sure thing," Spongebob started. "To make it simple, me and Squidward traded lives yesterday as a result of a deal that we made upon a conversation that we had after work. We also traded clothes and houses. And because I'm taking over Squidward's life, I have to do all of the things that he does, while Squiddy does my stuff. That includes the clarinet recital. So I'll be performing in his place this time since I'm filling in for his position in his life."

As soon as he finished the explanation, the crowd was in a state of complete and catatonic shock. None of it makes sense. Why would an eccentric and optimistic sea sponge such as Spongebob have such an interest in taking over the life of a grouchy and apathetic octopus such as Squidward anyway? To them, it just didn't add up. Both of their personalities would most certainly clash with each other and cause friction and strain between the two. Yet Spongebob doesn't seem to be the least upset by it in the slightest. Even after he gave his explanation, they were still baffled.

Meanwhile, Judge Phil was also a little bewildered by this change of events. He felt that someone such as the young sea sponge in front of him to take over Squidward's clarinet recital to be a little bizarre. Nonetheless, he felt that there was nothing to object to that. Being the proper gentleman he is, the judge decided not to argue with the young lad. After all, as the old saying goes; the show must go on.

After several moments of silence, Phil finally found his voice.

"Why this is a surprise to all of us, isn't it," he expressed himself. "Fortunately, with Mr. Squidward Tentacles in dispose of, this young lad, master…uh, Sponge_ward_ will make a suitable replacement for tonight. Congratulations boy, you will be performing for all of us instead."

"Neat," Spongebob beamed. "I swear that you won't be disappointed sir!"

"For our sakes, I hope not," Phil muttered as Spongebob raced for the stage, where he climbed up and took the center stage.

The crowd, who wasn't expecting this change in the slightest, decided to give the sea sponge the benefit of the doubt. As such, they put away their earplugs, by putting them to the side so they can see how this performance will go. And then there's Squidward, who was looking pretty hyped about this performance that could bring down his neighbor's confidence and boost his ego. This was going to be worth it.

As Spongebob placed the clarinet in front of him, the judge had a look of curiosity in his gaze.

"And what might young master Spongeward be performing for us tonight," he asked him.

"Hmmm…" Spongebob thought for a moment as to what he should perform. Then he got the perfect composition that he was familiar with. "I got one! Tonight, I'm going be performing _Symphony No. 5_, and it's by Beethoven."

"Beethoven's fifth symphony, huh? Fair enough. A fabulous choice indeed," Phil was pleased with Spongebob's composition of choice. "Well now that it's been decided, you may start the performance now, if you wouldn't mind."

"Roger that," Spongebob nodded as he got ready to play. He positioned it like so, and was prepared to perform.

As he took a deep breath to blow into the clarinet, the others were all filled with different emotions. Squidward had a hyped look on his face that essentially said 'this is it'. Then there's the crowd, who was worried about how this performance will go, and whether or not Spongebob will bomb his act or not. They had a feeling that it was going to be terrible. Even the judge had a look of worry about how this'll go; a sign that he might regret the choice he made with the substitute that went up.

As soon as he blew right into the clarinet and started playing, everyone was expecting a horrid performance.

However, to their complete surprise, it was the exact opposite. The moment he started playing led to the last reaction that they were expecting. It turns out Spongebob was playing the song on the clarinet with such brilliance, and it was so extraordinaire that everyone was speechless at how incredible he was on the instrument. Some of the audience members were in complete awe at the sight before them, while others were impressed by the sound that reached their ears. Heck, some of them were even moved to the brink of tears with the sheer beauty of it all.

The judge himself looked like he stumbled upon a masterpiece for the ages. He felt tears forming in his eyes at what he was listening to. To him, it sounded like the most beautiful song to have ever hit the seven seas and was bestowed upon them by King Neptune himself.

Even Squidward had to admit that it was beautiful, as he felt strung to the heartstring resulting from Spongebob ingenious playing.

_I…I don't believe it… _Squidward felt some jealousy beginning to form. _It's impossible. Spongebob __**can't**__ be a better clarinet player than I am! He just __**can't **__be!_

True, Squidward has played the clarinet fairly well on a couple of occasions. But those normally happen on his better days, which occurred only 20% of the time. So of course, seeing this performance would cause the octopus to feel envious with his ego deflating by the last thing he was hoping to see tonight.

* * *

The performance lasted for a good few more minutes before it came to a close. Once he pulled the clarinet away, everyone continued to gaze in an awestruck manner. This lasted for a moment or so before the judge got off of his seat and rushed over onto the stage. Now the sponge was wondering about one simple thing.

"Well judge, what do you think," he queried. "Was that performance terrible?"

"_Terrible?_" Phil gave him a bewildered reaction. "Dear boy, that performance was phenomenal! You were an astonishingly magnificent performer, young lad. That was the most beautiful composition that I ever hear."

"Wow. Do you mean that?" Spongebob felt like asking.

"By clamshells, of course, I mean it Sponge_ward_," Phil praised him. "As we speak, we are all amid a musical clarinet genius in our beloved presence!"

This, as a result, caused the crowd to erupt into cheering, feeling honorable with being in Spongebob's presence. By contrast, Squidward started fuming at what was going on. It wasn't fair. That should be _him_ getting that recognition. Not that square-headed kelp for brains.

Spongebob, on the other hand, was flattered to hear the compliments that the judge gave him.

"Gosh. I never thought that I would be so great at playing the clarinet," he said casually.

"I must say, you are one lucky clam to have such an incredulous talent," the judge informed him. "We were all fortunate enough to have you show off your potential talent with the lot of us tonight."

Once again, the crowd cheered as they all along with Judge Phil and Spongebob went out the front door, passing by a rather resentful Squidward who had a vein pop right on top of his head. It was then Judge Phil gave Spongebob a rather perplexing proposition.

"I must tell ya chap, you are an interesting fine lad, so I am making a request," he started. "Tomorrow, I would _love_ to interview with you. The whole city of Bikini Bottom deserves to know about your magnificent talent!"

"Why, I would be honored if you do something like that…I think," Spongebob said proudly with uncertainty.

"Excellent choice, chap," Phil said with enthusiasm. "All that I require is your home address, and then I'll handle the rest of the arrangements."

"Well, I live on Conch St," Spongebob revealed. "My pineapple home is at 124 Conch St, but the house I'm staying at is 122 Conch St. It's the house right next door. It's dark blue and it's a tiki-stone house. It's not hard to miss. That's where I'm staying for now."

"Terrific! That's all I wanted to know old bean," the judge shook his hand. "I'll be seeing you first thing tomorrow."

Once more, the crowd started cheering. Afterwards, they diverted from the young sponge and went back inside. Spongebob felt the audacity to give his farewells to them.

"Alright, I'll see you first thing in the morning," he called out to them.

As far as Squidward is concerned, the grouchy octopus was having trouble keeping his anger in, but he had enough resistance to maintain his cool. Still, he was shaking while twitching his left eye. Spongebob was completely oblivious to this as he walked back over.

"Wow Squidward, didn't you see how amazing I was up there? It was remarkable," he gleamed in amazement.

"Yes," Squidward swallowed up all of his irritation for the moment as he had a forced smile on his face. "I saw the whole thing."

"That's great," Spongebob beamed. "And guess what? The judge wants to have me interviewed first thing tomorrow because he wants the whole city of Bikini Bottom to know about my performance."

"I know," he grimaced with that fake smiled on his face, bitter sarcasm leaking in. "That's terrific news."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," Spongebob gave the clarinet back to Squidward. "Here's your clarinet back."

"Right," the cephalopod took the clarinet back and pocketed it.

It was then Spongebob remembered something. He was too focused on what happened as a result of the clarinet recital that there was something else that they have to do.

"Oh my fish paste," he cried out. "With all the excitement that's been going on, I completely forgot about how we still have to get that boating exam taken care of."

Believe it or not, Squidward remembered it too. He put his jealousy of Spongebob onto the back burner for now just to take this boating exam for him. The reason for this was simple; having envy take over while taking a boating exam would be a fatal disaster waiting to occur. So he swallowed down the lump on his throat and regained his usual expression.

"No worries square for brains," Squidward said coolly. "I will be taking your boating exam for you."

"You sure about that, Squidward," Spongebob asked with worry. "I mean you can still back out of the boating school exam if you are feeling stressed about it. I don't have a problem with it."

"No, no. I insist," Squidward refused to turn it down. "You took over the clarinet recital for me, so I think it's fair that I do the same for you with your boating exam. So what do I have to lose? It's only fair."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point," the sponge admitted, rubbing his chin.

"And besides, I am not stressed out in the slightest," he shrugged his shoulders. "I'll be perfectly fine."

"Well if you say so Squiddy," the young sponge sighed before expressing glee. "We should get over to Mrs. Puff's Boating School since the boating exam will start at any minute."

"Whatever," Squidward gave his unenthusiastic responses as he walked down the road with Spongebob by his side.

As they were walking down the street, Spongebob couldn't help but wonder about Squidward taking the boating exam and the result that could come with it.

_Gee, I just hope Squidward doesn't get worked up over all of this. It's just a boating exam. _Spongebob thought. _It's nothing to get so worried about. Heck, this is probably the only time he's going to do this for me._

With that in mind, the two of them continued to head to the boating school so they can get the exam done and over with…

* * *

**AT MRS. PUFF'S BOATING SCHOOL:**

It didn't take them that long, but they eventually made it to the boating school in question. And it appears that they made it just in time too. Currently, one of the students was taking the boating exam as Spongebob and Squidward approached the school grounds.

"Whew. Squidward, it looks like we made it just in time," the eccentric sponge panted in exhaustion. "We made it just before the exam has to be taken."

"So it would seem," the apathetic octopus retorted. "After all, it wasn't the first time I went to this boating school."

"I know," he decided to ask one last time. "Anyway, are you sure about this? You have one last chance to back out of all of this."

"I don't want to hear it Spongebob. I'm taking that exam," Squidward brushed off with confidence. "I can handle this. It's in the bag."

"Suit yourself," Spongebob shrugged. "Just don't get yourself worked up over all of this."

"Relax. I probably won't because to me, this will be child's play," said Squidward.

"Okay. But I'll be watching you from the side, alright," Spongebob called out to him as Squidward walked through the main gate entrance.

"You go and do that," Squidward brushed off indifferently as he went on through.

Spongebob was still uncertain about this, as his thoughts showed likewise.

_I hope he knows what he's doing. _He thought. _Because this isn't the first time he went to this boating school._

Nonetheless, he just stood to the side and peaked over the fence to see the exam get underway while hoping for the best with his neighbor.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Puff had just gotten done with another student who had completed the boating exam. The boat that they were riding in came to a stop as they both got out. The student was a simple fish folk with olive-green skin, and wearing casual clothes. He wanted to know how he did on his exam.

"Okay Mrs. Puff, we've finished," he then questioned. "So how did I do?"

"How did you do? Well, congratulations Frank," Mrs. Puff addressed the student as Frank. "You have passed the boating exam!"

"I did? So that means I've…" Frank trailed off.

"Yes. You have earned your license," Mrs. Puff told him as she handed it to him. "Here you go."

"Neat-o! This is what I've been waiting for," he acted like a child who got his favorite toy for Christmas. "I can't wait to get myself a brand new boat-mobile! This is got to be great!"

"Right," Mrs. Puff sighed as the student left. "Okay, let's see who's left on the list."

She took out her note board and looked at the list of people who had to take their boating exam. She saw that all of the students have been crossed off…well, all but one, who was the last person on the list. It was the moment that Mrs. Puff was dreading for since the name of the last person was '_SPONGEBOB_'.

"Oh goodie, the last person on the list is _Spongebob_," a hint of sarcasm came from the driving instructor's mouth. "I wasn't ready for this."

Truth be told, she had grown a lot of disdain towards Spongebob taking the driving portion of the exam. Sure, he was a fine student and a bright pupil for the most part. But Mrs. Puff's problem is that he always gets anxious when behind the wheel, and is vaguely responsible for a lot of the boat crashes and property damages that occurred in Bikini Bottom. It also led to her getting arrested several times for taking responsibility for the sponge, which caused her to feel indifferent about him. Nonetheless, because she was the teacher, it was her job to make sure all of her students took the driving portion of the exam, _even_ Spongebob. So she had no choice but to suck it up and deal with it.

"Well, let's get this done and over with," she sighed dreadfully. "I just pray to Neptune that it isn't as bad as it was the last time he took the exam."

She then turned around to see someone coming. She had assumed that it was Spongebob.

To her complete surprise, however, it was not Spongebob at all. It was Squidward, and he was wearing Spongebob's clothes. This got the pufferfish all too confused by what she saw.

"Hey," Squidward greeted dully while approaching her.

This got Mrs. Puff to shake her head and get back on track.

"Why, this is a pleasant surprise. I was expecting Spongebob," Mrs. Puff confessed. "But you, you're not Spongebob."

"Do I look square and yellow to you," he asked rhetorically.

"Well…"

"Don't answer that question."

"Oh uh, anyway, who would you be, fine sir," the driving instructor questioned.

"I'm Squidward," he told her. "But I suppose that for this instance, I'm Squidbob."

"I see," Mrs. Puff then wanted answers. "Well in any case, what's going on? Where is Spongebob? And why are you wearing Spongebob's clothes?"

"It's a long story, and I won't bore you with _all_ of the details," the cephalopod started. "That square rascal and I decided to swap lives with each other after a talk we had about whose life is harder. We also traded clothes and houses. And in addition to that, we traded jobs and tasks with each other. That sponge head already took part in my clarinet recital, so now I have to take part in his boating exam. So yeah, that's why I'm wearing his clothes and why I'm here in his place."

With the explanation all said and done, Mrs. Puff took a few minutes to take in everything that she heard. This was an interesting twist of events. She didn't expect the grumpy neighbor to take over the driving exam for the upbeat sponge. By examining him, she noticed that he was at least a competent driver. This could end up working in her favor after all. There was no need to panic over potentially crashing the boat into something.

After several minutes, Mrs. Puff decided to speak and share her thoughts on this.

"Okay, this was the last thing that I was expecting. But I'm willing to make this work and I'll go along with this," Mrs. Puff instructed. "By the looks of it, at least you won't be able to get us into a serious boat accident, like…_him_."

She had a sharp tone when she said 'him' to make it clear exactly who she is talking about. Squidward was quick to pick up on this and knew who she was talking about. He decided not to comment on it, however. He wanted the exam to get underway.

"Alright, let's get this done and over with," he told the instructor.

"With pleasure," Mrs. Puff solemnly agreed with him as they entered the boat. Squidward was in the driver seat, whereas Mrs. Puff went into the passenger's seat.

"Now I suppose you already know the steps of boat-riding, do you sir," she had to double-check.

"Sure do," he spoke in such a dry tone as he buckled himself in. "First of all, we buckle ourselves in."

"That is correct," Mrs. Puff made sure she was buckled into her seat. "So what's the first thing that we do?"

"It's simple," he said. "First I have to start the boat."

"Yes. That is correct," Mrs. Puff expressed awe as he started the boat. As soon as the boat was started, she then asked him. "So what's the second thing that we do?"

"Put it in 'drive' mode," Squidward answered as he set the boat into drive.

"That's right," Mrs. Puff was starting to think that this would go better than she thought. "Now what do we do?"

"Now we get the boat moving," Squidward then pressed his foot onto the gas break and the boat was slowly moving.

"Correct," Mrs. Puff sounded overjoyed. "I can't believe that this is happening."

"Me either," Squidward deadpanned as the driving got underway.

Things were a little slow at first, but the driving exam was going by remarkably well for the most part. Spongebob, who was watching close by, had taken notice of how Squidward was doing and that he was doing a flawless job with driving. Something about this made him relieved that nothing was going wrong with this.

_Well, what do you know? Things are going swell with Squidward so far. _Spongebob thought to himself. _This might go better than I expected._

Meanwhile, Mrs. Puff was seemingly impressed with how the exam was going so far. It was a breath of fresh air that Spongebob wasn't the one driving the boat this time around.

_Whoa my. It seems that Squidward or __**Squidbob**__ is doing far better than I expected. This is delightful. _Mrs. Puff thought, writing all of this down in her notes. _I was pretty doubtful about this for a second there, and I'm impressed that he isn't anything like Spongebob in the slightest. _

By contrast, Squidward didn't give a flip as to how well he was doing on the driving portion of the exam. He wanted nothing more than to remain focus and get this exam finished with. Aside from that, nothing else mattered to him.

* * *

After a good 10 minutes or so of driving, the test has officially come to an end. As such, Squidward brought the boat to a stop in the same spot it was in before. As soon as it was put into park mode, Squidward turned to face the overtly shocked Mrs. Puff, with one thing in mind.

"Alright, that's it for the boating exam," he queried. "How did I do?"

"_How did you do?_ Why mister, that was remarkable," she felt enthusiastic. "I never thought that I'd ever encounter such a competent driver like you, Mr. Squidward. That was one of the greatest exams I've ever bared to witness. You've passed the exam!"

"Really," Squidward raised his eyebrow in bemusement.

"Yes, really," Mrs. Puff confirmed as she looked over Squidward's driving record.

While she was doing that, one could see how proud Spongebob was that Squidward passed the boating exam. It went by better than he was expecting. Words can not describe how happy he was for his neighbor.

It was then Mrs. Puff saw something about Squidward that surprised her.

"Huh. That's funny. It says here that you already have a driver's license Mr. Squidward," Mrs. Puff proclaimed before adding. "But I suppose it was a good idea for you to get it up to date before it expires. So here; this is a fresh and updated license for you, sir."

"Wow. Thanks for this," Squidward took the updated license for himself.

"No need to thank me. You've earned it." Mrs. Puff beamed.

"Well, if you insist," Squidward shrugged his shoulders as Spongebob looked ecstatic.

"My, my, I'm so overjoyed, I can hardly contain myself," Mrs. Puff couldn't hear it any longer, so she announced loud enough for everyone to hear. "HEY EVERYONE, MY LATEST DRIVING STUDENT SQUIDWARD HERE HAS GOTTEN HIMSELF A **PERFECT** SCORE!"

"HE DID!?" This got all of the Bikini Bottom fish folk's attention, as they all looked astonished.

Before he knew it, Squidward found himself being surrounded by the fish folks, where nothing but praise was being passed around. Special mentions go out to a cameraman who was a part of the media, and the news crew who was doing a report on Squidward making the perfect score on his boating exam.

Unfortunately, the site caused Spongebob's smile to fade entirely into a frown. This isn't what he expected. This was all vividly familiar to him.

Back with Squidward, he was getting nothing but praise by the residents. The jealousy that he had over Spongebob's clarinet recital had faded entirely for now, as his ego was started to grow again at the attention he was receiving.

"Squidward, I can't believe it," one of the female fish folks gushed. "You are an amazing boat driver!"

"Well it's like I say; it takes one to know one," he gloated.

"Squidward my man, I must request a photo from you," the cameraman told him. "I want to capture this for the news media to see!"

"Well, I uh…"

"Oh no need to be so modest Mr. Squidward, or should I say **Squidbob**," Mrs. Puff passed him a wink of encouragement. "You will be recognized for your accomplishment."

"Well when you put it that way," Squidward uttered. "I guess one photo wouldn't hurt."

"Good choice mate," the cameraman got a snapshot of Squidward with Mrs. Puff beside him, and it came out great. "This is a keeper. This was certainly a righteous photo, mate. This photo is going on the cover of every newspaper tomorrow morning!"

"Uh, I'm flattered really," the cephalopod gloated.

Spongebob was growing less happy by the passing second by this, for some strange reason. But it wasn't until the newsman Perch Perkins made the next announcement.

"Perch Perkins coming to you live at Mrs. Puff's Boating School, where I'm standing with a young Mr. Squidward, the Student of Honor who got a perfect score on his test," the newsman announced. "The student is in for a big surprise because he _just_ won himself…" He paused as one of the crewmen pulled off a red blanket off of what appears to be a new boat mobile. "…**A BRAND NEW BOAT MOBILE!**"

"_A BRAND NEW BOAT MOBILE?!"_ Squidward and Spongebob found themselves crying out; the former out of excitement and surprise, and the latter with shock and forming envy.

"WITH A HELMET TO GO WITH IT," Perch Perkins yelled out, showing the helmet that goes with the boat mobile.

"My, this is a pleasant surprise," Squidward boasted.

"You bet your bivalve it is, mister," Mrs. Puff got him to put on the helmet. "And now that boat mobile is rightfully yours."

"That's what I wanted to know," Squidward smirked arrogantly as he walked over to the boat mobile with all of the citizens accompanying him. The news crew provided him with a key to go with it.

Spongebob, on the other hand, was overcome by something he thought he'd never be struck by again after the whole 'employee of the month' fiasco: jealousy. To him, this reminded him of the time Patrick got his driver's license. From passing the exam, down to getting a new boat mobile. Not only that, but Patrick kept rubbing his license in his face; figuratively and _eventually_ literally. That memory stood like a sore spot to the yellow sponge, and he can't bear to witness it happening all over again.

He couldn't believe it. He was originally happy for Squidward when he got his driver's license. But after what had just came up with the attention of the people and news media, and the new boat mobile, he was starting to have second thoughts about letting Squidward take the boating exam. Because the instance brought back painful memories, he was starting to regret his choice.

_I don't believe it. Squidward managed to update his license and get a new boat, and yet I've never been able to pass my boating exam. _Spongebob thought. _I can't watch this._

As far as Squidward was concerned, he loved every moment of this. It got even better for him when one of the people informed him of something that was of sheer importance.

"Just so you know sir, this is going to be all over the news tomorrow," the one fish folk told him. "You have set a new record in Bikini Bottom boating school history with your perfect score!"

"Huh, well I do get it from _somewhere_. Heh, heh, heh," Squidward snorted before going into his typical laughing fit.

"What are we waiting for," another fish wondered. "Let's escort you out of here in your brand new boat mobile."

"Yeah," a female fish gushed. "You can be brought out of here in style in honor of your amazing driving record."

"My, this is going to be a great news report come tomorrow morning," Perch Perkins mused.

"Tell me about it," the cameraman agreed. "I'm going to get my money's worth with the photo I just snapshot."

"Okay people, let's get a move on," Squidward instructed.

"I'm coming too," Mrs. Puff insisted. "I want to see my shining pupil get the attention that he deserves!"

Everyone started cheering for them as a result. As soon as Mrs. Puff was in the boat, the boat started driving off with Squidward driving it with a good portion of the citizens and Mrs. Puff accompanying him. The remaining citizens that couldn't fit in the boat weren't far behind them, and neither was the news crew with Perch Perkins and the cameraman.

* * *

It only took a matter of minutes before everyone left the boating school, leaving Spongebob all alone to take in everything that just took place. Disregarding the interview for the clarinet performance, for now, the sponge was entirely lost in thought about what he had witnessed.

"Wow, I just find it hard to believe," Spongebob complained. "Even Squidward has shown that he has what it takes to pass the boating exam. Not only did he get a new boat mobile, but the news will be talking all about him tomorrow."

He just wanted to forget everything that had just transpired. Maybe going back to Squidward's house to dwell in a state of peace will do him some good. After all, it was Squidward who got his license, so what was the problem?

"I shouldn't let some jealousy get to me. I have nothing to be worried about," Spongebob sighed. "If anything, I should be proud of him for his accomplishment. He earned it fair and square. Besides, I need to be getting back to the house anyway. I want to think about everything that had happened today."

With the decision made, the sea sponge decided to trudge his way back to Squidward's Easter Island head to slump over today and starting to regret ever thinking that Squidward's life was easier than his. Regardless, all he could do now was just head back to the home to rest up and hope that tomorrow will be better than what today turned out to be. As he headed back, a simple thought had crossed his mind.

_Have I been too judgmental of Squidward's life? I wish I didn't say that his life was easier than mine…_

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER 3…**

**Well, that's it for this chapter. It came a little early, but I still hope you enjoy it…or tried to at least.**

**Frankly, I've become turned off by this story and I'm not proud of it. I don't hate it, but the story has left me jaded, considering the origin doesn't appeal to me anymore. The part where their jealousy sparked was to show that there is something in the other's life that they are good at. It was supposed to show irony, but I'm not so sure if it's good.**

**Aside from that, I have no idea how to work out the next chapter. No seriously. There isn't much more to this story, and I have no clue how to end it. I'm all stumped out of ideas. It has nothing to do with my problems. But I just don't know how to handle the fourth chapter. I'm at a loss. **

**There have been moments where I'm thinking about quitting this story, and I'm considering it because this is one of the most difficult stories I've ever written. I have no thoughts on how the next chapter should go. **

**Nobody likes this story anyway. I'm pretty sure you guys think this is a shi-I mean a **_**lousy**_** story. And I don't blame you. This isn't a good story at all, and there's nothing to be proud of. So I don't blame any of you for **_**hating**_** this story and not reviewing it because it's terrible. **

**So if you have constructive criticism, I encourage you to have at it with me, because the story seriously deserves it. It's terrible. I probably won't get reviews anyway. No one likes this fanfiction. **

**That being said, unless you guys have suggestions on how the fourth and final chapter will go, I'm afraid this story might be stuck in this permanent limbo, or worse deleted indefinitely. I don't give a crud about this story anyway. I've lost interest in it. **

**So on that note, tune in again…or not. It's your call. All I have to say is goodbye readers, and I'm sorry that this story sucks. So long, and farewell. **


	4. The Guilt and Regret of Misjudgment

**Alright, readers, this is what you've been waiting for. This is the fourth chapter of this story.**

**Now I have decided on not only continuing this story, but there are going to be 2 more chapters instead of one; this one and the next one. I'm doing this to allow the dust flow and to have all of the conflicts sorted out by the end, which is only possible with at least 2 chapters. I hope this makes the story more manageable. **

**Now, I've given it some thought about what **_**Spades and Swords **_**had said in the review for the third chapter, and she's right. I do appreciate the support this story also gets, and that's all I could ever ask for. So thank you guys for the support.**

**Anyhow, this chapter will show the jealousy of Spongebob and Squidward slightly craw back up (mostly for the latter), the other characters Patrick, Mr. K, Sandy, and Gary will appear too, and some discussion will be made with the interview on Spongebob. If you are all wondering how this'll go, you'll have to find out for yourselves. For now, just enjoy the chapter everyone!**

* * *

**IN BIKINI BOTTOM – THE FOLLOWING MORNING:**

It was now a brand new morning in Bikini Bottom; Sunday morning to be exact. The sun was starting to shine over the horizon, the scallops were crowing the morning away, and it was more than certain to be a relaxing day today.

At Squidward's house, in particular, Spongebob was snoozing away. Believe it or not, Spongebob had _a lot _of trouble sleeping last night. This is in part because he kept on thinking about what transpired yesterday; regarding Squidward gaining his license. It was no mystery as to how the sponge felt about this, as it had happened before. When Patrick got his license, it caused a lot of problems, such as jealousy and strain. Not to mention the fact that the pink starfish involuntarily rubbed the license in his face. And on top of that, it strained their friendship. Fortunately, they managed to work it out in the end, and Spongebob expressed to his best friend that he's proud he got his license and the new boat mobile. This is overlooking how Patrick got rid of the boat, because it ran out of gas, and he had no idea what that meant. Regardless, they remained friends.

Meanwhile, with Squidward, the friendship was one-sided since the octopus never liked the sponge and he never wanted anything type of friendship with him. Yet he agreed to this whole deal that they made. Still, it made the sponge upset to see Squidward get his license updated when he still hasn't gotten his license.

On top of all that, Spongebob was starting to feel regret for thinking that Squidward's life was a walk in the park and that he could handle it. Indeed, he had trouble keeping to the demands of the art communities and living up to their expectation, as well as paying the bill to Squidward's house. The more he thought of it, the more he realized that there was more to the cephalopod than had a strong interest in the fine arts and being grumpy. And to top it off, he had begun to realize the truth about his grouchy neighbor. After all these years, he figured that he was just a simple loner who enjoys nothing but painting portraits of him, and playing the clarinet, in addition to being someone who just wanted a friend that the young sponge was wanting to give to him. But boy was he wrong about that. Nevertheless, he was eventually able to sleep late in the night.

By the time it came to him waking up, he was seen squirming in the bed and muttering under his breath. Then he slowly started to open his eyes to see what was in front of him. Unbeknownst to him, what he saw was the last thing he was expecting this early in the morning.

For when he woke up, he came face to face with a couple of people. These people were revealed to be the crew for the interview that was going to be taken place. Looking directly in his face was the judge from last night; Phil. This caught him by surprise as he just back with a squeal, not expecting company this early.

"Uh…whoa," Spongebob rubbed his eyes. "How did you guys get into the house? It was locked."

"There was a key underneath the welcome matt," was the simple response.

"Oh," the young sponge yawned and stretched his arms out. "Who are you guys?"

"Dear boy, don't you remember? I'm Judge Phil," the judge reminded him. "Remember, we have that interview to take care of this morning? We even have the news crew here to record everything on camera."

_Oh right. _It was all coming back to the sea sponge. _I completely forgot about the interview involving the clarinet recital! _

Indeed. The stress he was feeling about Squidward passing the boating exam had made him entirely _forget_ about that interview. It's crazy how the bad things end up pushing out the good things that occurred yesterday. Regardless, they were here, and Spongebob had to get up anyway.

With that, he got out of bed and stretched out his arms before walking.

"Alright, I'll be doing the interview," he told them. "Just as soon as I get up and take care of my hygiene, eating breakfast, and the likes."

Conversely, this didn't come as a surprise for Phil, as the interviewee has to be full and brimming with energy for the interview to be possible. So he just shrugged and decided to wait.

"Whatever you say, musical genius," he called out. "And be sure to take your time too, chap! This interview is going to last for about an hour or so!"

"_Right…"_ Spongebob muttered incoherently under his breath as he got the morning rituals all taken care of before kicking off the interview…

* * *

By contrast, Squidward, who was currently sleeping next door in the pineapple house, hadn't shown up until _late_ last night. This was mainly because of the people who had accompanied him resulting from passing the boating exam that took up all of his time. This didn't bother him at all since it was the first time in years that he felt like he was living it. To be frank, he was quite sad that it had to come to an end. The whole thing made him forget entirely about his envy with the clarinet recital, which was a good thing on his part.

And thus, he was here, sleeping away and having some pleasant dreams that related to the crazy night he had as an aftermath of the boating exam.

Unfortunately, like everything else, good things have to come to an end. And it did when the foghorn alarm started going off, interrupting Squidward from his peaceful dream as his eyes shot open. Realizing what was happening, he let out a painful sigh.

"Well, there's goes the peaceful dream that I was having," Squidward grumbled under his breath as he turned off the alarm.

He then started to wake up and realized one thing; it was Sunday. And there was never anything important to do on a Sunday, since work was taken care of every other day of the week, right?

_Oh right. I forgot it was Sunday. _Squidward mused. _This seems to be the perfect day to relax and not having to worry about work dragging me down._

And he had one objective on his mind; to relax and chill out. Yes, it was the perfect plan.

But before he could leave the bedroom, he heard a little commotion outside.

"Dear boy is this what you have in mind," a familiar voice with that British accent queried.

"I'm sure sir," the voice of his annoying neighbor was heard. "I think this is a perfect choice."

Squidward couldn't fight off his curiosity, so he looked outside. When he did, he saw Spongebob outside the front yard with Judge Phil, the interview crew with the clarinet recital cast, and the news crew to record the whole interview.

"I hope you don't mind us taking this interview outside," said Spongebob. "I felt that doing it outside would be better than doing it inside."

"Perfectly understandable lad," Phil exclaimed.

As they started the interview with Spongebob telling the judge something, it was all coming back to Squidward. This was in regards to the clarinet recital he did last night and how outstanding he was as a clarinet player. The jealousy was starting to surface again as Squidward decided to eavesdrop on the interview through the window.

"So let me get this straight," Phil sounded perplexed. "On most days, one of the things that you enjoy doing during your spare time is blowing bubbles?"

"That's exactly what I said," beamed Spongebob. "Besides that, I also like to go jellyfishing, playing with my best friend Patrick, work as a frycook at the Krusty Krab and make delicious Krabby Patties, taking part in karate with my other close friend Sandy, and also lending my friend Squidward a helping hand whenever the opportunity comes up."

The judge was rather intrigued. Even though this sponge was filling in for Squidward, he had quite a remarkable list of hobbies and interests that he takes part in. All of this was perfect, and it's what this interview needed all along.

"I see," he tapped his chin. "But tell me dear sponge; have you _ever_ had dreams of becoming a musician?"

"Well to be honest good sir, it has never crossed my mind," he told him honestly. "You see, I don't normally perform music regularly. But there was this one time where I and a few other people in Bikini Bottom took part in performing at the _Bubble Bowl_; as Squidward's band, where we became the band that Squidward _dreamed_ of us to become."

"Why that sounds remarkable," Phil was ecstatic upon learning about that.

"It sure was. It went in the history books of Bikini Bottom for how awesome it was," he then brought up another memory. "Oh, and then there was the time where I went on a bus concert tour with Squidward, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs when we were forced to give up the opportunity of a lifetime with Colonel Carper when Mr. K decided to become our tour manager."

"That's fascinating," the judge was getting more and more interested by the minute. "But do tell, do you ever wish to make it big as a musician someday, young sponge?"

"That depends," Spongebob rubbed his chin. "I will only do it if Squidward was to accompany me, along with Patrick, Mr. Krabs, and anyone else that I'm close to, such as Sandy, Pearl, and even Mrs. Puff."

"Fine one boy. All of this is outstanding," he shouted while clapping in excitement.

"Thank you," Spongebob took a bow while Squidward heard every word.

Popping his head back into the house, he started feeling some more mixed emotions. While he still felt some resentment about the situation, there was also some pity and shame building up as well. To be fair, he _**did**_ go along with this trade. Therefore, he brought this entirely upon himself.

All he wanted to do was to trade his life with Spongebob so he could see just how miserable his life is and to hopefully get the annoying sponge off of his back for good. But this only caused the opposite to occur, in a strange type of way.

The octopus spent the next few minutes or so just dwelling about his neighbor and how he completely underestimated him. Has he misjudged the sponge this whole time, even after all those years where he saw him as nothing more than an annoying neighbor who did nothing but bother him when he wanted to be left alone? From what he had learned yesterday at the recreation center, this was possible.

_Clamshells. Have I been underestimating Spongebob after all these years? _Squidward thought. _Perhaps there is more to him than just being annoying and a nuisance. His clarinet performance proves it._

He continues to think about all of this and has some regrets about saying that Spongebob's life was easier than his life. His thoughts on all the instances he encountered with the sponge were unexpectedly ruined when a certain snail meowed from downstairs.

"Meow? Meow! (Hey Squidbrain, are you up yet?! I want my breakfast!)" Gary hollered.

"I'm coming," Squidward hollered back as he went downstairs to feed Gary before he starts nagging him again, and do all of the other morning rituals before doing anything else…

* * *

As soon as all of that was taken care of, Squidward decided to go outside to witness the interview that Spongebob was taking part in. As he was trying to listen on to their conversation, Squidward started to feel some pity over how dismissive he was to Spongebob and his shenanigans over the years.

All of the times he had to withstand his annoying laugh, crying, playing with Patrick, blowing bubbles, jellyfishing, working the grill at the Krusty Krab, doing karate with Sandy, and the works, he saw it as an irritation and an edition to his already pathetic and miserable life. However, after and overhearing what the lad had just told the judge, he was beginning to have some second thoughts about seeing him as nothing more but a mere barnacle head. Not only that, but he was also having second thoughts about how he thought Spongebob's life was all fun and games, with the clarinet performance fresh on his mind, when he lent him his dearly beloved _Clarry_.

It should also be known that while Squidward does seem to hate his spongy neighbor most of the time, there are moments where he's proved that it's not 100% hatred. In truth, he has had his moments where he doesn't despise Spongebob after all.

For instance, there was the time Squidward and Spongebob had to deliver the Krusty Krab pizza. Even though he was still annoyed by his antics, especially with the talk about the pioneers, he was shocked to see that one ungrateful customer yell in the frycook's face and snap at him all because he forgot his drink. Seeing the sponge in a saddened state, the octopus decided to step up and give that customer a piece of his mind. And he did, by slamming the pizza right into his face.

Another moment was when Squidward went a little overboard with his April Fools prank on Spongebob, which got the young sponge covered in nothing but trash to run out crying. This, combined with how the townspeople berated him, one saying 'April Fools, jerk', and another saying that he stinks, and seeing the damage for himself, caused the cephalopod to feel guilty and regrets going too far. He made several attempts to apologize to Spongebob sincerely, eventually becoming successful by the end. Even though the whole thing was an April Fools prank, it _didn't_ change the fact that Squidward even _felt _guilty in the first place.

Then there was the time that Bikini Bottom was introduced to Christmas. Squidward was being such a jerk towards Spongebob, especially when Santa never came, as he had taunted him for it. Ultimately, this all started to change when Spongebob gave Squidward the gift that he made for him, and when he saw what beauty it was, the octopus felt bad for how rude and mean he's been. So he went as far as dressing up as Santa Claus for Spongebob, to make up for what happened. And if that weren't enough, not only did he give one of his stuff away to a little girl, but he also gave away _all _of his stuff to _**EVERYONE**_ in Bikini Bottom, just to make Spongebob satisfied. Never in his life had the cephalopod done something so good, especially when he got that letter from Santa himself.

He even remembers the time Mr. Krabs became generous to avoid going to stay in Davy Jones' Locker. When the crustacean cheapskate ended up selling Spongebob to the Flying Dutchman for 62 cents (even though the sponge stuck up for the crabs no matter what), it was Squidward who chewed out Mr. Krabs for doing something so vile and disgraceful. Naturally, the crab came to his senses, and it was a surprise to see him called out by Squidward, of _all_ people. Needless to say, this remained in the minds of those who witnessed it.

And now with everything he's been witnessing for the past day or so, he might not be so bad after all. Squidward stood there with a frown on his face.

_I misjudged that sponge of a neighbor. _Squidward thought. _I should have never said that his life is easier than mine. _

He decided to take action. He was planning on heading over there to talk to Spongebob about all of this.

Alas, before he could begin walking over to the sponge, a familiar voice was heard shouting out to him.

_**"****MR. SQUIDWARD!" **_The bellowing voice belonged to none other than Mr. Krabs, as he came storming over to the scene, with a newspaper in his hand. The newspaper would serve importance as to what got under his skin.

"A'right Squidward, what is the meaning of this," he barked. "I demand an explanation!"

This got the octopus confused as he had no idea what he was talking about. Raising an eyebrow, he reacted accordingly.

"Uh, Mr. Krabs, what are you going off about?"

"Don't pull that hogwash with me! You know exactly what seahorse radish I'm referring to," Mr. Krabs then told him. "I'm talking bout how I've been hearing rumors about you passing yer boating exam with sweet beloved Mrs. Puff!"

"L-Look Eugene, I don't recall anything like that ever happening," Squidward stuttered hastily, feeling sweat starting to form.

"Hmmm…" Mr. Krabs then decided to use the newspaper as a resource. "Perhaps this'll refreshed yer memory, Mr. Squidward. So tell me, how in _Great Barrier Reef_ do you explain _**THIS!?"**_

He shoved the front cover of the paper in the octopus' face, forcing him to see what was on the front. There was a photo of Squidward and Mrs. Puff in black and white; the same one that the cameraman took yesterday. Grabbing the paper and reading the text, Squidward suddenly let out a gasp.

**"SQUIDWARD PASSES BOATING EXAM; IMPRESSES TEACHER WITH PERFECT SCORE," **he read the newspaper article. _"Yesterday at Mrs. Puff's Boating School, a young man named Mr. Squidward Tentacles, who went by the alias __**Squidbob**__, had passed his boating exam with a perfect score, renewed his license, gaining a new boat mobile and a helmet, and essentially wooing and fascinating the driving instructor Mrs. Puff with glory and admiration for his astounding achievement."_

"So by the looks of it, if my eyes don't deceive me, I would conclude that you; Mr. Squidward Tentacles, have become a traitor to the Krusty crew," Mr. Krabs started chewing him out. "You went along and swiped Mrs. Puff from under the old crab's nose, and have gone and done _this_ behind me back, you salty dog."

"Wait, Mr. Krabs, this isn't what it looks like," Squidward tried to defend himself. "I was just taking the boating exam in Spongebob's place. Nothing else."

"Aye, so it seems," Mr. Krabs wasn't convinced. "You know, I was planning on going on a hot date tonight with Mrs. Puff; the love of me life."

"You mean besides your money," Squidward added in a deadpanned tone.

"Don't get all awkward on me, Mr. Squidward," Krabs ordered. "After all, I had everything in place. I had planned on keeping me Krusty Krab under maintenance and tight security when I'd go out, so a little sneaky convincing rascal known as Plankton won't try breaking in and making off with me secret formul_er_. But I guess I'll have to forget all about these plans because somehow, me cashier is making passes with dear ol' Mrs. Puff."

Squidward was now shocked by the accusation with Mr. Krabs thinking he'd steal Mrs. Puff to be his love interest. It was not only hard to believe. It was also something that would _never_ happen in all the seven seas.

"Eugene, I can't believe this," he gasped, sounding offended. "I am not making any passes with Mrs. Puff of the sort."

"Bullshrimp, Mr. Squidward! Do you hear me? Bullshrimp," Mr. Krabs brushed off. "Now I'm gonna have to remind you about _Sailor Code 101_; what happens to those who dare to defile the Krusty Krab name, and defile the Eugene Krabs name in general. Now here's how it starts."

Just then, Mr. Krabs started going off, chirping like a dolphin towards Squidward who had to endure the rant that his boss was giving him.

* * *

While that was going on, Spongebob was continuing the interview with Judge Phil. The sponge just got through telling him about his starfish pal Patrick, and how he's his best friend and lives under a rock.

"By Neptune's holy powers, you're telling me that your best friend is a starfish that lives _under _a rock, is that correct chap?" Phil questioned.

"That's correct," Spongebob confirmed while nodding. "He lives on the left side of Squidward's house, while I live on the right side."

Then suddenly, by sheer coincidence, Patrick's rock home was lifted to the side, as Patrick himself emerged from his home, walking towards the scene.

"Ooh boy, speak of the devil," Spongebob grinned at this.

But by the looks of it, Patrick would have probably walked by if it weren't for Spongebob calling out to him.

"Hi Patrick," he called out.

Patrick came to a halt and looked at him with surprise. He approached the sponge as he then gave his greeting.

"Oh. Hello there…_Spongeward_," he spoke.

"Huh," this got Spongebob confused. "Where did you learn of that name?"

"Well, what do you expect me to call you; Squidbob?" Patrick asked rhetorically.

"No Patrick. That's not what I meant," Spongebob shook his head. "I meant where did you hear about the name '_Spongeward_'?"

"From Sandy," Patrick answered casually.

"Sandy," Spongebob jumped in confusion.

"Uh, duh. Sandy is my friend too," Patrick argued. "I am allowed to talk to her."

"Oh nevermind Patrick, just forget about it," Spongebob then showed his best friend the interviewing crew. "Patrick, these are the guys who are interviewing me about the clarinet recital that took place last night."

"Uh-huh. Whatever," Patrick didn't seem to care. "Uh listen Spongeward, I've gotta go. Gonna be playing with my best friend; Squidbob."

"With _Squidward_," Spongebob cried out, not expecting this to happen. "But Patrick, _I'm _your best friend!"

"No you're _not_," Patrick countered stupidly. "You're just a grouchy neighbor who plays the _cleeranet_ and makes paintings of yourself. Later Mr. Spongeward, my _killjoy _neighbor."

With that, Patrick walked off and headed to Squidward, who was still caught in the rant with Mr. Krabs. This reaction left Spongebob feeling hurt. What the heck just happened?

As Spongebob was feeling distraught, the judge had witnessed the whole thing as he deduced exactly what went wrong with the encounter.

"Hmm, it appears that there was a slight case of miscommunication between you and Patrick, you fine lad," Phil concluded.

"Oh don't take it like that," Spongebob sighed, getting out of his fog. "Patrick was just kidding when he said that. He's such a kidder."

"Didn't seem like a joke to me, dear boy," Phil thought otherwise. "It's as if he was completely serious about what he said, indeed."

"Just forget about it, sir," Spongebob just wanted to get back to the interview. "Can we continue with the interview?"

"Why yes. That would be a marvelous idea," Phil was completely psyched about that suggestion. "Let's carry on with this fine interview."

And that's what they did. They continued with the interview with no brief interruptions for several minutes…

* * *

Back with Squidward and Mr. Krabs, the latter had just about wrapped up his rant that he was giving to the former. And by the look on his face, Squidward dreaded every moment of it.

"Furthermore, _that _is what happens to a backstabber who betrays his crew and has sought his own grave and fate," Mr. Krabs finished.

Squidward was just dying to deliver a retort in response. But before he could do so, Patrick came to the scene and interrupted both of them.

"Uh, I don't mean to interrupt, but I'm looking for my best friend; _Squidbob_," Patrick told them.

"Egad," Mr. Krabs gasped, before berating Squidward yet again. "Squidward, I don't recall ever allowing you to change yer name and mash it up with Mr. Squarepants' name. I don't _pay_ you fer doing such poppycock!"

"You don't pay me at all," Squidward said dryly.

"Exactly my point, Mr. Squidward," by the way the crab crossed his arms, it would seem that he's proud of what he had said.

"I don't want to hear anymore about poppycock," Patrick cried out in a declaration. "I want to play with my best friend Squidbob!"

Grabbing his hand, the starfish tried to run off while dragging the octopus behind him so they could play together. But of course, Squidward was having none of that, as he stood in place. This caused the dumb starfish to stop in his tracks.

"No Patrick," Squidward snorted. "I am not playing with you!"

"Oh come on Squidbob! I'm your best friend," Patrick was defiant. "We play together every day you aren't working at the Krusty Krab! It's not fair!"

Squidward ended up rolling his eyes at the barnacle head's reaction. It was then Patrick gave them the perfect idea as to what they should do together.

"I know," he declared. "LET'S GO JELLYFISHING TOGETHER!"

"No Patrick," Squidward refused. "I am not going jellyfishing."

"Oh," Patrick trailed off, before settling on something else. "Well how about we blow bubbles instead?"

"No," Squidward turned the offer down. "I'm not blowing bubbles with you either."

"Well, how about we have some ice cream together?" Patrick suggested.

"Nope," the octopus shook his head.

"Play hide and go seek," the starfish wondered.

"No," Squidward said again. This was going to take a while.

"Play tag?"

"No."

"Play some leapfrog?"

"No."

"Hopscotch?"

"No."

"Watch a movie together?"

"No."

"Go square dancing?"

"No."

"How about we play pirate together?"

"No."

Even after being told the same answer many times, Patrick came up with the best thing that they should do together.

"Oh! Oh! I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE CAN DO," the starfish cheered. "We should go to Weenie Hut Jr. for Mega Weenie Monday, where we can order a couple of burgers, an ice cream sundae, a soda, and we can even sing some songs together! What do you say Squidbob?! ARE YOU _READY_!?"

_**"****NO, YOU PINK HEADED KELP FOR BRAINS!"**_ Squidward snapped, having just about reached his limits. "I am** not** doing anything with you today Patrick! And you are **NOT **my best friend! We never _**were **_best friends!"

"Well fine. Have it your way killjoy," Patrick was heard muttering under his breath. "Always wanting to ruin all the fun…"

"Ahem, if you scallywags could forgive me fer intrudin' like this, I'd like to get back to the main subject, like how Mr. Squidward here has been seein' Mrs. Puff behind me back!" Mr. Krabs got them back on track.

"Now look here Eugene, I have not-"

"Save it fer someone who cares," Mr. K interrupted him. "It's as clear as the salty waters of the Pacific Ocean that you have been makin' advances towards sweet Mrs. Puff! Better yet, I wouldn't be surprised if you were having an _affair_ with her!"

At that moment, Squidward gasped loudly by this. He couldn't believe that Mr. Krabs would have deduced something so revolting (in his opinion at least) when the whole thing was a misunderstanding. Tapping his tentacle foot, Squidward started to protest.

"Now look here, Mr. Eugene Krabs, I have not been seeing Mrs. Puff," argued Squidward. "And I have not been having an affair with her."

"Oy? Then how do ya explain the photo that's on the cover of today's newspaper?" Mr. Krabs raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced.

"Oh please. This whole thing is a misunderstanding," Squidward told him nonchalantly. "All the cameraman wanted was a photo of me and Mrs. Puff for the front cover. Big deal."

Mr. Krab rolled his eyes at that one, but before he could fire back, Patrick decided to ask a question.

"Is Mr. Krabs a robot?" He queried randomly in his dimwitted manner.

"Don't get stupid on me, Patrick," Mr. Krabs deadpanned. "We are not goin down that route again!"

"Ah right, as if we haven't been down that road already," Squidward snorted, crossing his arms.

"Oh for clam sake," Patrick shouted exaggeratedly, throwing his hands up. "You guys are no fun! I wanted to play with my best friend, and he turned me down! I'm going to see if I can play with Sandy! At least _she _considers me her friend!"

Then by sheer coincidence yet again, we see Sandy approaching the scene as if she had something important to get off of her chest. She saw Squidward, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs and waved to them.

"Howdy guys," she greeted.

"Oh joy, speak of the devil," Squidward retorted.

"SANDY! I AM GLAD THAT YOU'RE HERE! I need to ask a favor of you," Patrick cried out to her. "I need you to play with me as my friend, because mean ol' _Squidbob_ over there doesn't want to spend time with his best friend!"

Squidward was heard grumbling under his breath as Sandy shook her head.

"Why I'd love to Patrick, but I can't," Sandy insisted. "I'm looking for Spongebob. Have you seen him anywhere?"

"Of course, he's right _there_," Patrick pointed to Squidward, who pouted while placing his hands on his hip in annoyance.

"No. No. I mean the _real_ Spongebob," Sandy corrected herself. "Where is he?"

"He's right over there," Squidward pointed to Spongebob who was still giving the interview. "He's giving an interview for the clarinet performance last night."

"That's what I was askin for," Sandy started walking over there. "Thanks a bunch, Squidward. That seriously helps."

"Anytime," the cephalopod said dully, as Sandy approached Spongebob to talk about something important…

* * *

As for Spongebob, he was still giving that interview to Phil. He just got done telling him about his other close friend Sandy.

"So let me see if I'm correct," the judge started to reiterate. "Your other best friend Sandy is a squirrel who came from Texas, lives in a tree dome that's full of air, and has a giant oak tree in the center of it. Is that what you said?"

"That's right," Spongebob confirmed once again. "And she always wears an astronaut suit with a helmet that's full of air every time she explores Bikini Bottom and the rest of the ocean."

"Why that sounds incredible," Phil expressed his astonishment.

"Hey Spongebob," Sandy was heard hollering to Spongebob as she approached him.

"And wouldn't you know? There's Sandy right now," Spongebob commented in amusement. "Hi, Sandy! I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Phil over here."

"Please to make your acquaintance, fine squirrel," the judge bowed out of respect, as Sandy stopped right in front of them.

"He's here giving an interview with the rest of these people in regards to my performance last night." Spongebob pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah. I know that Spongebob," Sandy dismissed. "But I'm here because I need to talk to you about something."

"Why sure Sandy. What's up," the sponge said enthusiastically.

"Ah mean _**alone**_. Away from your judge friend," Sandy elaborated.

"Oh, sure," Spongebob turned to face the judge for a second. "Mr. Judge Phil, if you wouldn't mind, Sandy wants me to speak to her alone for a minute. It won't be too long."

"Why of course dear boy," he permitted them. "Take as much time as you need to. I'll wait patiently."

"Right…" Sandy rolled her eyes as she dragged Spongebob away from them for a minute until they were out of earshot.

"Sandy, what do you want," he was curious as to what this was about.

"I just want to know one thing Squarepants; what are you doing," the squirrel crossed her arms.

"The interview," the sponge answered quickly as if it was obvious.

"I know that. I've seen it on the news," she retorted before elaborating on it. "I meant to ask why you are continuing this gig."

"Huh," Spongebob was confused by what she was getting at.

"Oh come on Spongebob! Don't play around," Sandy argued. "I'm talkin' about how y'all been fillin' in for Squidward and his life by doin' this interview! This whole thing that's been goin' on between ya and Squidward is as crazy as a groundhog that has seen its shadow on the second of February!"

"Now Sandy, I'm just doing Squidward a favor," Spongebob defended. "And besides, I am jealous of how Squidward managed to pass his boating exam when I never have been able to. He even got himself a brand new boat mobile!"

"I know that Squidward has passed his boating exam from reading the paper this morning. But that's beside the point," Sandy brought up. "Ah mean, have y'all been givin' it some thought about how miserable Squidward is wit all of this?"

"But Squidward has _always_ been miserable," Spongebob added.

"Again, that isn't the point Mr. Squarepants," Sandy groaned in irritation. "Ah have seen Squidward strugglin' with the tasks that ya do regularly. Not only that but when he managed to show up fer karate, he was as filthy as a raccoon digging through the trash on a clear summer evenin'. Then there's the fact that he's not as fun with how he does karate than how ya do it, Spongebob. Ah mean no offense to Squidward, but he _sucks_ at karate. He wouldn't be able to defend himself against crooks wit them tentacles."

"Yeah, he did show me the black eye he got yesterday," Spongebob mused.

"Exactly, and that's not the worse part! The worst part of all of this is, to be honest wit y'all, I miss ya Spongebob," Sandy cried out. "I miss having ya square butt hanging out wit mine, where we do karate, play in the sand at Goo Lagoon, show ya some o' mah inventions at the tree dome, or just spending out together. Just the _two_ of us."

"Whoa. I never thought about _that_ Sandy…" Spongebob trailed, starting to feel regret about all of this.

"And ah ain't the only one who's upset. Look over there," she directed the sponge's attention to a sobbing starfish. "Patrick misses ya too! He came to ask me to spend time with him since his best friend won't."

That's when then overheard what Patrick was sobbing about.

"OH HO HO! _I MISS MY BEST FRIEND!" _Patrick cried loudly. **"I WANT TO PLAY WITH MY **_**BEST FRIEND!"**_

"Well now that you mention it, I _do_ have trouble with the tasks that Squidward has to do," Spongebob frowned upon seeing Patrick so upset. "And it's been stressing me out."

"Exactly," the squirrel yelled. "And this whole thing ain't just hurtin' Squidward. It's hurtin' you too. And that's why ah suggest ya two get things back to normal, go back to your original clothes, houses, and lives."

"Oh, but I _can't_ Sandy. Don't you understand," Spongebob gritted his teeth, placing his hands on his head. "I'm just so _jealous_ of how Squidward passed his boating exam."

"Don't feel so down wit yerself, Sponge_buddy_," Sandy reassured him, placing her arm on his back. "Ah know ya feel jealous wit him, but it ain't gonna go away until you talk with him about it. Just talk it over wit Squidward, and I'm sure he'll understand…I hope."

"Really," the sponge gave the squirrel that hopeful stare in his eyes.

"And besides, ah git this strange feelin' that Squidward also has a problem goin' on," Sandy told him while observing how miserable Squidward looked. "Why I bet he has something that he needs to get off of his chest too. So what do ya say, Sponge Partner? Will ya and Squidward return to yer original lives?"

"Hmm, well now that I think of it, I do miss my pineapple home. And I miss my best friend; Patrick, hanging out with you, feeding Gary, jellyfishing, bubble blowing, working as a frycook at the Krusty Krab, just about all of it," after saying that, he sighed. "Okay. I'm gonna talk to Squidward about my jealousy and also about returning to our original lives."

"Now that's the spirit, pal," Sandy encouraged him. "Go and put an end to all of this bull wash!"

Of course, since the discussion was being made so loud, this didn't go unnoticed by the judge, who looked a bit upset at what Spongebob was doing. He rushed on over to him.

"Wait! Laddie, we haven't finished the interview yet," the judge hollered out.

"I'm sorry to say this sir, but I have to talk to my neighbor Squidward," Spongebob insisted.

"But wait, Sponge_boy_," the judge cried out of desperation. "You haven't told me about how you work as a frycook at the Krusty Krab!"

"We'll have to do it some other time," Spongebob waved his hand as he approached Squidward.

Of course, Phil didn't take this as an answer as he was not going to cancel the interview with everyone here; especially the news crew.

* * *

As soon as Spongebob approached his octopus neighbor, with Mr. Krabs and Patrick accompanying him, the sponge started to speak to him.

"Hey Squidward," he started. "There's something that I'd like to tell you."

This got Squidward's attention, as he wanted to know what it was. Unfortunately, before he could speak, the judge let out one last plea for the sponge to continue the interview.

"No! Wait! Don't do it!" Phil cried.

"Yeah," the other interview attendees joined in. "We still have to finish the interview!"

"Excuse me, but could you guys please back off," Spongebob told them. "I'm trying to talk with Squidward."

They were reluctant, but they kept quiet for the time being. That didn't stop them from letting out some soft whimpers.

"Uh sure Spongebob," Squidward spoke up. "What is it that you want to tell me?"

Spongebob was about to say what it is, but then he got interrupted again. This time it was by some people who were approaching the scene.

"HEY, IT'S SQUIDBOB!"

This got their attention as they turned around. The people were revealed to be the ones who were looking for the cephalopod regarding the perfect score on the boating exam. Most of them were adolescents and they wanted his autograph. There were even some fangirls who couldn't help but squeal at the sight of their favorite octopus. The teenage girls were screaming several sentences at once.

"OH MY NEPTUNE, IT'S HIM!" "I WANT TO BE WITH HIM!" "I LOVE YOU SQUIDBOB!" "PLEASE TAKE ME WITH YOU!"

"Uhhhh," Squidward was having trouble forming a sentence.

"Squidward, I didn't know you had a fan club made after you," Spongebob commented.

"I don't," he gulped.

It was then one of the hottest looking teenage girls got his attention. She was quite a doll for a fish, and she had a look of mischief in her eyes.

"Oh Squiddy my hunk, please take me with you," the girl spoke with a saucy tone. "I want to love you, be with you, and we can have some _fun _together. You and me Squiddy, we can get saucy in the bed, under the covers _baby_."

As the girl winked at him and suggestively moved her eyebrows, Squidward was now on alert. He knew exactly what the girl wanted, and it made him sweat profusely.

"W-Well, I…I uh…"

"COME ON," one of the interviewers cut him off. "WE STILL HAVE THAT INTERVIEW TO DO!"

"AND WE AREN'T GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT, MAN!"

"Come on Squidbob, I just want your autograph," one of the fanboys begged.

"Me too."

"Same here."

"I want more than an autographic," that one teenage girl sighed dreamily. "I want the two of us to _make love _together. What do you say, daddy?"

Now this situation was getting out of hands. Combined with the interviewers pestering Spongebob about the interview, and the fans who are all over Squidward, including one saucy girl, it was clear that they both had a very good reason to be anxious.

"Uh, what do with do now, Squidward?" Spongebob questioned.

"I…I don't know…" Squidward found his voice after gulping.

Sandy had witnessed what was going on and knew what they had to do. Without hesitation, she walked over to them and gave them an idea of what to do.

"Err, Spongebob, and Squidward? Things are gonna get messy in a minute," she told them. "I suggest that both of y'all better run while ya can."

"That's the best idea I've heard all day Sandy," Squidward was all for it.

"Good idea Sandy," Spongebob agreed. "Let's go then Squidward."

"Right."

Immediately afterwards, the sponge and the octopus bolted off, running as fast as they could, away from all the hoo hash. The interviewing crew and fans took notice of this.

"Hey, they're getting away from us," Phil pointed out.

"We know!" The fanboys yelled.

"Well, what are we standing around for," one of the interviewers wondered. "Let's chase after them!"

"YEAH, I WANT MY BELOVED SQUIDDY TO BE _FRESH _TONIGHT," the fangirl let out a battle cry. "LET'S CHASE THEM **DOWN!"**

**"YEAH,"** all of them bellowed simultaneously as they all chased after them like an angry mob (without the torches and pitchforks of course). Now the sponge and octopus had a crazy mob on their tail, so they better find a way out of this one…

* * *

As soon as they were all out of sight, the dust started to settle among those that stayed behind. Patrick slowly stopped sobbing as he witnessed them running, Mr. Krabs was too shocked to say anything at the moment, and Gary had come slithering outside after overhearing everything that took place. All while Sandy wasn't surprised by this in the slightest. Shaking her head, the squirrel crossed her arms and stood there.

"Well I'll be, look at them run," Sandy pointed out. "Those two are runnin' faster than a barefoot jackrabbit on a hot greasy griddle in the middle of a warm August evening in…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know about the whole rabbit thing on a summer evening. Blah, blah, blah," Patrick cut her off before looking worried. "Anyway, will either of them be coming back?"

"I'm sure as heck that they'll be back, Patrick," Sandy assured him. "Why, I bet that Spongebob and Squidward will be returning in their normal clothes, and things will go back to normal."

"Bet? Did you say bet?" The mention of the word 'bet' got Mr. Krabs' attention. "Alrighty then, if those lads return with their regular clothes and back to their normal lives, you are to give me $50."

Sandy couldn't help but roll her eyes, knowing as clear as day that Mr. Krabs was giving a rip-off deal. He was referred to as a crustacean cheapskate after all. Nonetheless, Sandy didn't bother arguing about it. She just wanted things to go back to normal.

"Oh alright, if they come back in their usual clothes, I will oblige to the deal," she said reluctantly.

"That'll do lassie," Mr. Krabs said proudly.

"Meow? (Do you think Papa-Bob and Squidbrains will get out of this?)" Gary had to ask the squirrel.

"Oh don't worry you little mollusk," she petted the snail. "I'm sure they'll get out of this."

"I hope so," Patrick whimpered before shouting again. "I WANT TO EAT ICE CREAM WITH MY BEST FRIEND AGAIN!"

Conversely, Sandy, Gary, and Mr. Krabs gave the starfish a _blank_ stare for being overly dramatic. Being the dullard he is, he was oblivious to the looks he was receiving. Afterwards, they just stood there, hoping the outcome will occur soon…

* * *

**"MEANWHILE…"**

It was shown that Spongebob and Squidward were running for their lives as the lunatic mob consisting of the interview crew and fanboys and girls were making pursuit after them. They not only hope that they could get out of this alive and well, but they hope that they can switch back to their normal lives, and will be able to resolve their respective jealousy. This was very concise as the same thought ran through both of their minds.

_I don't know how much longer I can take this! I hope we can settle our jealousy and get our lives and everything else back to normal…_

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER 4!**

**Surprise! I bet you didn't expect this to end on a cliffhanger! Well too bad, because that's part of the plan, so ha! :P**

**Honestly, I think it was a good idea to do this because it makes it flow more efficiently, and the two of them start to realize what the other has to put up with regularly, and the buildup that leads to the discussion they'll be having, which will happen next time, in the final chapter.**

**For those that are confused, according to the episode No Weenies Allowed, it was revealed that Mega Weenie Monday was moved to Sunday, and since this chapter takes place on Sunday, that's probably where Patrick got that idea from.**

**One other thing, the part where Judge Phil refers to Spongebob as 'Spongeboy' is a shout-out to the fact that his original name was Spongeboy before it was changed due to a mop product bearing that same name. **

**Anyway, I've already said this before, but I do appreciate the support that this story has been getting, and I do appreciate the reviews I do get, along with the people who follow and favorite this story. I'm sorry for how I reacted at the end of the third chapter. I was just having a bad day, and I wasn't feeling my best. I hope this chapter was more than enough to make up for that. **

**Now, as I said already, the last chapter will have Spongebob and Squidward working things out by talking it out (after evading the mob), they understand each other's jealousy, and they come to the settlement and acceptance of each other's lives, which will lead to the conclusion. If you are wondering how this'll go, you'll have to find out next time!**

**For now, if you have constructive criticism, feel free to leave some for the chapter. If not, you can just leave a review and tell me what you think of the chapter, only if you want. And if you don't, that's fine too. Just like how I'm okay with anyone that wants to add this to your favorite stories or follow this story is welcome to do so. If not, that's okay too. I just hope that this chapter was at least slightly enjoyable.**

**Aside from that, that's all that I need to get off of my chest. So until the last chapter comes up, I hope you stay tuned for the finale. And on that note, thanks again for reading everyone!**


	5. The Acceptance Between Two Neighbors

**Alright readers, here it is, the fifth and final chapter to this story!**

**Now I must express myself, I am glad that this story is coming to an end. I do appreciate all the support and reviews that I've been getting for this story, as well as the people who have added this to their favorite stories and are also following it. I've done a lot of hard work just to construct this story and made it into five chapters. **

**For this chapter, everything wraps up as Spongebob and Squidward talk about their jealousy and wanting to call off the deal and get everything back to normal, and the outcome to it all will be displayed at the end too. If you want to know how all of this will turn out, you'll have to read for yourself. For now, enjoy the last chapter of this story!**

* * *

**ON THE ROAD – IN BIKINI BOTTOM:**

Continuing from last time, we see Spongebob and Squidward are still running away from the rabid mob that had them right in their reach, if only just. This had been going on for a good few minutes or so, and the sponge and the octopus were breaking a sweat. It was clear that this running was exhausting, but they had to suck it up and act like it was a morning rush hour, to get away from the mob that was on their tail.

The crowd was heard chattering a bunch of things all at once, some of which were proclaiming about how they are going to get them and when they do, they won't let them escape from their grip. Spongebob wanted to have Squidward and himself get out of this situation, so they needed a plan. As such, Spongebob then had to ask Squidward the all-important question.

"Huff…Huff…Squidward," he huffed while running. "I don't think…we can…outrun these guys any longer…What shall we do…?"

"Oh…Oh…I don't know," Squidward told him, also sounding tired.

"Well we need a plan to be able to ditch this crazy mob," Spongebob was quick to point out.

"Yes. But how…?" Squidward queried since he hadn't the slightest idea on how to ditch them.

Spongebob could only shrug his shoulders; a sign that he had no idea either. Until he could come up with the solution, the only thing they can do now is to keep running and hope something comes up. In the name of Neptune, they better have a plan soon, because they aren't able to outrun them for much longer.

Just then, after another few minutes of running, Spongebob caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a giant reef. That's it. This was the perfect obstacle for Squidward and Spongebob to hide behind and being able to lose the lunacy that was behind them. They only had one shot at it though, so he had to give Squidward the scoop.

"Hey Squidward, check it out," the sponge instructed. "It's a giant reef; the perfect place for us to get away from the crowd, in which we can hide behind it."

"Well, anything to get away from this," the octopus moaned.

"Alright, Squiddy, here's what we'll do; on my mark, we jump behind the reef and we hide away from that mob. How does that sound?"

"Good enough for me, I guess," Squidward obliged to it. "We just gotta make it fast to lose these people."

'That's the point of all of this," Spongebob told him. "Now get ready. On my mark…Almost there…Jump!"

As soon as he shouted that, they were close enough to the reef where they quickly leaped behind it and rolled onto the ground behind it. Naturally, the folks that were chasing them didn't catch the view of the two were jumping behind it, so they assume that they sped off ahead. Therefore, they kept running after them.

Spongebob and Squidward managed to take a quick peek behind the reef and saw the crowd running pass the reef, not paying attention to the fact that the two were observing them. As soon as they were out of sight entirely, the sponge and octopus hid behind the reef again as they slid down onto the ground and started to catch their breath, relieved that they outsmarted them.

"Whew…Whew…That was a close one," Spongebob panted, wiping his forehead.

"Tell me about it…" Squidward was panting too. "We actually loss them…"

"I…I know…" Spongebob sighed. "Let's spend the next few minutes to catch ourselves after that fiasco."

"I…I have to agree with you there…" Squidward groaned.

And they did exactly that. They spent the next few minutes relaxing while getting themselves all caught up after their little running marathon back there…

* * *

As soon as they were done cooling off, everything started coming back to them before the chase that took place. Squidward, in particular, recalled how Spongebob wanted to tell him something of sheer importance, before the interruption. He also remembered how it looked like the sponge just wanted to get something off of his chest since something was bothering him. It didn't take a genius to know that something was eating him up, especially with the anxious look on his face. Even though he never cared for his annoying yellow neighbor, he still couldn't help but grow interested in what he wanted to tell him previously.

Since there were no more distractions, now would be the best time to find out what it could be. As such, the octopus decided to clear his throat and get his attention.

"Hey Spongebob," this got the sponge's attention.

"Yes, Squidward?"

"I believe you were going to tell me something," Squidward reminded. "You know...before we were _rudely_ interrupted."

"Oh right," he remembered. "There was something that I'd like to tell you."

"Well, what is it," queried Squidward. "What do you want to tell me?"

Spongebob froze for a second there. Should he tell him the truth? Should he tell his neighbor about how his life is too much for him to handle? Or that he was jealous of how Squidward passed his boating exam?

_Get a hold of yourself Squarepants! Remember your promise! You are doing this not only for Sandy. _Spongebob had to remind himself. _You are also doing this for Patrick, for Gary, for Squidward, for Mr. Krabs, and most of all, for __**yourself**__**!** So pull yourself together man and tell him what you have to!_

With thoughts running through his head, Spongebob then shook them off and started to give Squidward his undivided attention as he got straight to explaining everything.

"Listen Squidward, I have a confession to make. You were right. Your life isn't as easy as I hoped that it would be. To be honest, it's been quite stressful," Spongebob confessed. "I do have trouble counting the money in the cash register and making sure the customers get the right amount back. I have trouble living up to the art communities and keeping with their expectations. The bill to your house is really expensive and I have a hard time paying that off. I can even see why you are the way you are since you don't have it easy. I understand _everything_ about you now, and for that, I'm sorry that I misjudged you."

Squidward was entirely speechless as he was taking in everything Spongebob just told him. He couldn't believe it. Spongebob; one of the most cheerful and optimistic citizens in Bikini Bottom, admits to being stressed out while filling in for him. Considering the trouble Squidward had with filling in for the sponge, it was such a surprise that Spongebob hasn't entirely snapped from everything he puts up with daily. No, he keeps a bright and happy smile and takes care of the stuff that he has been struggling with. Everything that he was told was whirling through his head.

_Wow. I'm at a shock. Spongebob is having trouble with my life. After all these years, I felt that he had it easy with being annoying and optimistic. And he admitted his mistake to me. _

Then again, Squidward was not the one to talk. He was having just as much trouble with handling Spongebob's life as he was struggling with his. Finding his voice, Squidward then made his confession.

"Well, ahem. Spongebob, I didn't expect you to see this _my_ way. To be honest, your life isn't all fun and games either," Squidward told him. "I can't cook the patties and the fries to perfection, cleaning the entire Krusty Krab was a hassle, I'm not good with karate, I got stung by a jellyfish, and putting up with Gary's snarky attitude is hard. I'm just surprised to hear that this was getting to you, especially after all these years, I saw you as nothing more than an annoying nuisance."

"I get why you would think so, Squiddy," Spongebob remarked. "It's just like how I always assumed that you were just a grouchy loner for many years."

"I can't possibly imagine how _you'd_ be able to reach that conclusion," he muttered under his breath.

"And there's something else that I've gotta tell you too," the yellow sponge brought up. "To tell you the truth, I was hesitant to tell you all of this because... I…" He struggled before gulping. "…I was jealous of the fact that you passed that boating exam."

This got Squidward to jump as he thought he misheard him.

"Come again," the cephalopod had to question him to confirm his suspicions.

"I said that I was_ jealous_ of how you passed that boating exam," he revealed. "For as long as I can remember, I've been trying to pass my boating exam and finally get my license, but I could never do it, and I've never been able to pass. Seeing you get your license updated when you passed reminded me of the time Patrick got his license. It just brought back bad memories."

This caught him by surprise, as a range of emotions were flowing through him. Yeah, he was entirely aware that Spongebob couldn't pass his driving test, and that he didn't get his license as a result. But what struck him the most was how he was admitting his jealousy towards him and that he was upset to see everything that transpired. On the few occasions where the sponge's ego got to him, he hardly admitted his faults and his problems to anyone…at least until he was able to see it with his own eyes. This, however, was something that occurred upon the trials that he went through the past couple of days. Of course, there was also the fact that Squidward had his jealousy that needed to be revealed.

_I wonder, should I tell him about my jealousy? _Squidward rubbed his chin. _After all, he did admit that he was jealous of how I passed the boating exam, so I guess it's only fair. _

With the decision made, Squidward then decided to share with him about his resentment.

"Really? You were jealous of how I passed the boating exam Spongebob," he asked rhetorically. "If anything, I should be jealous of you. I was jealous of how well you did at the clarinet performance. Disregarding my better days, I could never play the clarinet as well as you did, and that's why I have some resentment."

"Whoa," the sea sponge then quirked. "I guess we both have something to be jealous about."

"It would appear to be so," was the deadpan response that came from the octopus.

"Anyway Squidward, I'm sorry about all of this," Spongebob apologized. "If I didn't make that deal about us switching lives, none of this would've happened. I should have never allowed us to switch lives like this in the first place."

"No no Spongebob, this is all _my_ fault," Squidward insisted on taking the blame. "I was the one who was being a smart-aleck with this whole thing. And I was the one who went along with all of this."

"But remember, I was the one who paid an expensive bill for your house, on top of having my artwork being rejected by the art communities for not living up to their desires." Spongebob countered.

"Well, you weren't the one who got karate chopped in the eye by Sandy," Squidward rebuked. "Nor were you the one who got stung by a jellyfish."

Spongebob took this in as a realization. Both of them were at fault for all of this. He made this crystal clear with the cephalopod with this next statement he made.

"You know something Squidward, I think both of us are at to blame for what we put ourselves through," he announced. "I'm sorry for all of this."

"Me too," the grumpy octopus replied quickly.

"Now let's shake on it so our apologies are official," Spongebob declared, extending his left hand.

"Fine by me," Squidward shrugged his shoulders and did the same.

They then shook on it. Both of them had to admit, this was the most reasonable decision that they had come to. As soon as they were done with that, Spongebob realized that there was one other thing that they have to do since the settlement has been made.

"By the way Squidward, there's just one last thing that I'd like to ask you," he started. "Would it be alright if I have my life back?"

"Gee, that depends," the cephalopod looked thoughtful. "I'll do it only if you allow me to have my life back."

"It's a deal," he beamed in excitement. "Oh, I think we should trade back the clothes we are wearing."

"Oh," Squidward remembers that he's still wearing Spongebob's square pants. "I think that's a good idea."

Not saying another word, the two of them took off their clothes and traded them back to the original owner. In no time at all, Spongebob was back in his square pants, and Squidward was back with wearing his t-shirt. Needless to say, both of them were ecstatic about things going back to normal.

"Ah, now this is more like it," Spongebob commented, fiddling with the red tie. "It's great to be wearing these square pants again."

"Tell me about it," Squidward rolled his eyes. "It's great to be wearing this t-shirt again, and not those square pants."

"I gotcha Squidward," the sponge jested. "After all, I'm the only one here who is alright with wearing square pants. Dahahahaha."

"Uh-huh, so it seems," Squidward sighed. "So what should we do now since we are back to our normal lives?"

"Huh, I never thought about that," Spongebob rubbed his chin while thinking of a solution. "Well one thing's for sure, those guys are still looking for us and thinking we are Squidbob and Spongeward. So we'll have to face up to them sooner or later."

"I guess so," Squidward understood where he was getting at. "Perhaps now would be a good time for us to head back to our houses, seeing that the dust has settled entirely."

"Good idea Squidward," cheered Spongebob. "I look forward to seeing Gary and Patrick now that I'm _me_ again."

"I couldn't have it any other way," the cephalopod agreed with him as they both got up and walked away from the reef where they then started walking down the road, heading back to their homes.

As they are doing so, something else popped into Spongebob's mind. It seemed to be something imperative since it would play a role in how everyone else will react to this. Therefore, he decided to ask his neighbor.

"Hey Squidward," he began. "How do you think those people that are looking for us will react when we break the news to them about us being back to our own lives; especially since we won't be able to take part in what _they_ have in mind?"

"Humph, you know something," Squidward was intrigued by the reaction. "They may not be happy with the arrangement, but it had to be done, and they'll just have to live with it."

"There are no better words to put it that way," Spongebob admired. "I'm just glad that we got all of this squared away."

"For once, you couldn't be more right about that," Squidward acknowledged this.

Not making another sound, the two of them remained silent for the rest of the walk as they were heading back to their neighborhood. They had high hopes of putting all of this to rest, and to settle this arrangement with everyone else once and for all…

* * *

**"BACK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF SPONGEBOB, SQUIDWARD, AND PATRICK****…"**

It would appear as though the people who were chasing them earlier had found their way back to the front of the three houses. There was a reason why they were all gathered up like this. After passing by that giant reef quite some time ago, they had begun to realize that they lost sight of them, by the time they made it back to their houses. Wondering where they ran off to, the group had asked the locals (Patrick, Sandy, Gary and Mr. Krabs) if they've seen Spongebob and Squidward and if they have entered one of the houses. Alas, none of them saw either of them, and they did not see them enter the pineapple home, the Easter Island head home, or the giant brown rock of a home. Despite being told this information, they went on ahead and searched through all three of the homes, looking through every nook and cranny for any signs of the sea sponge and the cephalopod. No luck came out of it. All three homes were deserted and void of the two. They went back outside the house where they were currently chattering amongst one another about what happened. Where in the name of Neptune did those two disappear to? Could they have pulled a trick on them and outmatched them just to getaway? That had to be the reason since the last they saw of them was when they were chasing them. Even so, this strange disappearance left them puzzled and wondering what to do now.

This went on for several minutes or so until one of the people in the crowd saw two people walking down the road and approaching the sea. The person squints his eyes and noticed that the two people were Spongebob and Squidward. With this revelation in mind, the fish folk decided to make the announcement.

"Hey guys, look," he hollered and pointed. "I see _them_! The sponge and the octopus! They're heading this way!"

This ceased the chatter as they all gazed upon the direction that was being pointed at. What they didn't count on was the fact that they were not wearing the clothes from before. Rather, they were wearing their usual clothes; Spongebob in his square pants, and Squidward in his t-shirt. Somehow this caused a storm to form with the crowd as they all started letting out a barrage of questions as to what is going on, and why did they swap clothes. Essentially, this came to a complete halt when Spongebob and Squidward made it to the scene and the former let out a loud whistle, silencing _all_ of them.

"Ahem, may I have your attention, please! I'm afraid I've got some bad news," the sponge started. "Squidward and I are no longer taking over our traded lives! We've done another trade, and now we are going back to our original lives!"

This got the crowd to gasp, in confusion and horror as Squidward decided to elaborate.

"I know, all of you are confused, so let me explain," Squidward stepped up. "Spongebob and I had a little chat, and we discussed how we were dealing with stress with our traded lives. And also how we were jealous of each other; Spongebob was jealous of how I passed my boating exam, and I was jealous of how Spongebob did well with his clarinet performance!"

"But thanks to a little compromising, we managed to work it out," Spongebob continued. "And because we traded back our respective lives, we are now wearing our rightful clothes, and we are living in our own homes again!"

"And one last thing, we are no longer going by the names 'Squidbob' or 'Spongeward'," Squidward concluded. "We are using our regular names again. I'm Squidward Tentacles, and he's Spongebob Squarepants."

As soon as the announcement came to an end, the people were speechless. With their mouths agape, they took in everything that was told. After about a few minutes of silence, they began to realize what this meant, and that all the plans and bets were off. One of the interviewers was the first to speak.

"So wait, does this mean the interview is off," he questioned.

"And does this mean I can't ride with you in your boat mobile," the attractive fangirl asked, whimpering.

"Exactly," Squidward nodded. "All the plans that we made are off."

"We understand that this comes as a shock, and we would like to apologize for it," the sponge apologized. "But this had to happen and it was meant to be like this. We hope you understand our reason for doing so."

Spongebob was half expecting everyone to understand their reason. Unfortunately, be it as it may, the crowd reacted by jeering and booing at these change of events. Perch Perkins, in particular, decided to announce the news station.

"This is Perch Perkins with a breaking news alert," he said to the TV camera that was broadcasting this. "We've just gotten an update that the interview with **Spongeward** that was planned for this morning has been _canceled _and that this local young sponge is now _Spongebob_ again. And for **EXTRA** breaking news, it seems that **Squidbob** is _Squidward_ again, thus making the accomplishment with the perfect score on his boating exam to be all for naught. The locals here are devastated by this, and these two fine fellows are cutting off the attention that they were being given indefinitely. This is Perch Perkins coming to you live in Bikini Bottom for this news update!"

"Well," Judge Phil let out a sigh of disappointment. "So much for holding a _good_ interview…"

"And now I'm _not_ gonna be able to get _naughty_ with Squiddy," that particular fangirl whined.

"Now we won't be able to get our autographs," the crowd of fanboys complained.

"And I was seriously looking forward to that interview," Perch expressed his dissatisfaction. "Drat, I should have known this would happen."

"We were _all_ looking forward to the interview," the rest of the interviewers chimed in unison.

It was then all of them were heard chattering about this shocking revelation. To say that this was considered the biggest disappointment in the century would be an understatement. Well, at least according to these people, judging by their reaction to the outcome.

Nevertheless, they didn't want to waste time with the sponge and octopus anymore. Therefore, the crowd started to divert away from the houses as they all departed in all different directions. None of them gave Spongebob or Squidward one last look before they left. As soon as they were all gone, Spongebob and Squidward had gazed in the direction that most of the people walked off in when the former decided to give his comment.

"Well, that turned out easier than I thought," Spongebob claimed with glee.

"That appears to be true," Squidward agreed.

The two of them then turned around to see Patrick, Sandy, Gary and Mr. Krabs still in front of the house. They never left. But unlike everyone else, they were glad that things were back to normal, and the scuffle that took place has been put to rest; thankful that this was all over…

* * *

But what surprised the two was the fact that they noticed Sandy begrudgingly giving some money to Mr. Krabs. It's as if she had _lost_ a bet and was _paying_ for it, literally. They decided to walk over to them.

"…47. 48. 49. 50," the squirrel counted as she finished giving the money to the crab. "That should be enough."

"Arg arg arg arg. It was a pleasure doin' business with ya, lassie," Mr. Krabs chuckled as he proudly took the money and pocketed it.

"Ahoy Mr. Krabs," Spongebob got his boss' attention. "What happened?"

"Oh, nothin' really," the crustacean explained. "It's just that yer squirrel friend an' I made a bet that if you and Mr. Squidward were to come back in ya normal clothes, and revert to yer own lives, she was to give me 50 bucks. An' since this be the outcome, it looks like I won the bet. Arg arg arg arg arg!"

"Oh boy, what a surprise," retorted Squidward in a sarcastic manner, while rolling his eyes.

"Well boy-o, now that this business has been taken care of here, I best be headin' on home to count me loot," Mr. Krabs informed them. "I'll see ya both at work tomorrow; Mr. Spongebob and Mr. Squidward. Don't be late."

With that, Mr. Krabs then scurried on back to his house as Spongebob waved to him.

"See ya first thing, captain," he hollered to the crab.

As soon as he was gone, Spongebob and Squidward turned their attention to Sandy. Spongebob was the one who spoke first.

"So uh Sandy, what was that about," he questioned. "Did you seriously go along with it?"

"Don't ask," Sandy deadpanned. "It's better if ya just let it be."

"Ah, I see," he understood that she didn't want to discuss it with him, so he dropped it.

"Anyway, Ah am glad that y'all have had that talk," Sandy got straight to the point. "Mah point is I'm relieved that y'all back to ya normal life Spongebob. Same goes for you, Squidward."

"I couldn't have had it any better," the cephalopod stated. "It's good to be back."

"Well, now that that's all set, I guess I better be runnin' on home now," Sandy announced her departure. "Y'all take care of yerself Spongebob, and ah hope we can hang out again soon."

"Me too Sandy," Spongebob returned the gesture in full force. "It'll be great for us to hang out again."

"It sure as hay would be Mr. Squarepants," Sandy turned around and started walking off while giving her farewells to them both. "I'll see ya later Spongebob! You too Squidward!"

"So long," Squidward replied nonchalantly.

"See ya later Sandy," Spongebob called out to her.

And so Sandy left the area and returned to her tree dome since all of this was all said and done. As soon as she was gone, Gary decided to speak next as he approached his owner.

"Meow! (It's so great to have you back, Papa-Bob!)" Gary beamed.

"I'm glad to be back too, Gary," the sponge then pat his pet snail in a warm matter.

"Meow. (It'll be good to have you back in the pineapple home.)" Gary purred.

"It's great to be home, Gare-bear," Spongebob cooed.

"Meow. Meow. (Yeah, I look forward to eating your cooking again. It'll be much better than the slop that Squidbrain had been feeding me.)" The snail retorted.

"I _heard __**THAT!**_" Squidward bellowed, having heard everything the snail said, as Gary turned around to head back into the house. He gave Squidward one last glance before rolling his eyes.

"Meow. (Sure you have.)" Gary then slithered back into the pineapple home where he managed to close the door behind him as soon as he entered.

At this point, Patrick was the only one left besides Spongebob and Squidward. Even though he was a 'kelp for brains', he was able to understand that Spongebob was back to his normal life and was his best friend again. This was especially shown when Spongebob enthusiastically approached the starfish.

"So Patrick, since I'm Spongebob again, I guess we're best pals again too," he beamed. "Now we can go out and have fun together and do some jellyfishing! So what do ya say, buddy ol' pal? Are you with me?!"

It was clear as day that Patrick was smiling at the thoughts of having fun with Spongebob, and he was looking forward to it. But before he could give an equally enthusiastic response, a beeping sound was heard in his pants pocket as he checked it out. He took out his shell phone and opened it up. As soon as the screen lit up, he saw a message that was blinking and was written in big red text. The message, in particular, said **'NAP TIME!'** right in the center. Understanding what this meant, his expression changed to a frown as he pocketed his phone.

"Oh, well I'd love to go out and have fun with you buddy, but I have to head back to my home," he gave him the bad news.

"What? Why," Spongebob was shocked and confused by this change of plans.

"Well you see, I've suddenly caught this disease. The disease is called 'laziness'…I think," Patrick gave an excuse. "Yeah, yeah that's it! I caught **laziness**! And believe me, it's _horrible_ to get! And it's contagious; really _really_ contagious! So now I must go back to my rock and keep it from spreading to _everyone_ in Bikini Bottom."

"Uh Patrick, I hate to burst your bubble," Spongebob was skeptical of this. "But I don't think laziness is considered a-"

**"DO NOT QUESTION NEPTUNE'S LAWS OF FEESICKS MR. SQUAREPANTS!" **Patrick boomed, cutting him off and saying **physics** incorrectly. "I MUST LEAVE POST HASTE!"

Before Spongebob could even get a word out, Patrick was storming straight for his rock, where he opened it up, jumped inside, and slammed the rock on top of him, which shook the ground a little.

* * *

Spongebob stood there, jaw-dropped as he took in what transpired. Even though he wasn't the smartest in town, he was more than certain that laziness wasn't considered a disease. As he closed his mouth, he started scratching his head in bewilderment. While he was doing so, Squidward, having witnessed the whole thing, gave his retort.

"Hmph. Typical moron," he murmured under his breath.

Spongebob completely disregarded what Squidward said as he spoke out loud.

"I just don't get it," he admitted. "I'll never know what kind of disease laziness is anyway...if it _is_ a disease…"

Squidward disregarded Spongebob's comment as he approached him.

"Well Spongebob, now that we are the only ones left, mind taking a walk with me for a bit," he offered.

"Sure thing Squiddy," Spongebob disregarded the fiasco with Patrick as he lit up. "After all the stress that we've been through these past 3 days, I could use a little way. I'll be glad to."

"Very well then," Squidward gave a simple response.

Before they could begin the walk however, something else occurred to Spongebob. Even though they were no longer filling in for each other, he had to admit, he was proud that Squidward passed his boating exam. He had to express it to him.

"By the way, I have to be honest, I'm proud that you passed your boating exam Squidward," he told him.

"I see," Squidward replied thoughtfully. "I have to admit, you were outstanding with that clarinet performance."

"Thanks," the sponge gave his thanks to him. It was then an idea popped up. He just had to make sure it'll work. "Also Squidward, would it be alright if you can teach me how to drive a boat properly so I can finally pass my driving exam and get my license?"

This kind of favor impressed the octopus, to be honest. Not only that, but there was a favor that he had to ask the sponge for in exchange.

"Well, only if you teach me how to play the clarinet properly," he brought up with him.

"Hmm…" Spongebob rubbed his chin for a minute before smiling. "You got yourself a deal!"

"Great," they then shook on it, showing that they were going to live up to the deal. "So, shall we begin our walk?"

"I'm way ahead of you Squidward," he gleamed. "Let's go."

And so they started walking down the road. It was obvious that there was no more trouble being carried on their backs since this has been put to a close.

As they were walking, Squidward couldn't help but give a simple comment to his spongy neighbor.

"You know something Spongebob," he admitted. "I'm starting to hate you **A LOT** _less._"

Of course, Spongebob took this as a compliment as his eyes glimmered.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that Squidward," he said gratefully.

"Uh-huh…"

With that all said and done, they didn't say another word as they continued their Sunday walk. It was great to see that their lives were back to the way they should be. No more carrying extra stress on their shoulders, and no more having to deal with people who admire them for something that they aren't. Not only that, but they did learn more about each other that resulted from this. Spongebob is a competent clarinet player, while Squidward is a competent boat driver. And on top of all this, things did change for the better on both ends; Spongebob realized why Squidward is so bitter, and Squidward has learned to appreciate his yellow neighbor a bit more. Although he can _still _be annoying, he was willing to tolerate his nautical behavior from now on. Meanwhile, Spongebob was planning on toning down his shenanigans, at least when he's around Squidward.

No doubt about it. Life was starting to get better for the two of them as both of them gained a new perspective of each other, and this was only going to help them later on. So everything turned out for the best, and their problems were all over.

They were both walking into the distance until they became a couple of silhouettes, and then the screen started to fade out in black…

* * *

**THE END!**

**Yup, that's the end! This story is done. I do hope you enjoyed the final chapter to this and like the conclusion that I wrote.**

**To be honest, I'm glad that I'm done with this story. Even though this is a good story, I've been feeling rather disappointed with this story; not for the story itself, but how it originated. I just feel guilty that this story came as a result of wanting to show Shaeril how she should have done her story, and for that I am sorry. Because of that, I've felt disillusioned by this kind of story that originated from Shaeril herself. And it also doesn't help that I was hoping that she'd finally learn something from this story, but she hasn't. She hasn't learned anything. I've concluded that she's nothing more than a troll. Therefore, I'm not doing anymore stories that originated from her. **

**I'm gonna do another Spongebob story (and I have plans for it), but it's going to be more original, efficient, and something that I think will be better than this story. So with that being said, I'm no longer associating with **_**Shaeril McBrown**_** due to the stress it has caused me. **

**While I might feel disappointed with the story's origin, I do appreciate the support that this story's been getting on all ends, and all the positive reviews and people that have followed it and added it to their favorite stories are well appreciated too. I just look forward to the next story that I have planned for this series. **

**Now I might be proud of the positive feedback, but I am allowing constructive criticism to be made. So with that said, if you have any constructive criticism at all for this story and if I could have done something better with the story itself, feel free to leave it in the review section. And if there isn't any criticism, you can just leave a review and tell me what you think overall.**

**Otherwise, that's all I have for this story. So until the next story gets brought into development, I do hope you all take care of yourselves. And lastly, thanks again for reading everyone!**


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